Hi
I don't think it can be discouraged but it will go away
when they mate and have nests . I had two males fighting over my backyard for a couple of weeks They both attacked me several times lol It's the rites of spring lol gary

I'm sure sorry to hear about this because it seems to me that mockingbirds might be evolving into more mellow, tolerant neighbors these days. I haven't been attacked by a mockingbird in almost twenty years.
I grew up in Florida in the 1950's and 60's, and mockingbirds were extremely aggressive in those days. I've always been a keen observer of nature and pay attention to everything I see and hear wildlife do.
I've noticed big behavior changes these days, not only in mockingbirds, but several other species as well. Many types of critters have not only learned not to fear humans, but to exploit us as well.
For the last two seasons a pair of mockingbirds have built a nest in the shrub right next to my front door. They'll flush, fly up and perch on the edge of the roof when I pass close to the shrub. Then, they silently wait for me to go away before returning to the nest.
EXTREMELY un-mockingbirdlike behavior! Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying it's all very strange. :-)

When checking on your plants, it helps if you're under a big golf umbrella.

They are very aggressive in my yard. They drove the blue jays out.

I've been here almost all my life and have seen them attack people, along with cats and dogs, for years. They will go after crows and hawks, too. They build their nests very near the ground, in shrubs and low tree branches. I've never been attacked myself, but my sister had a nest in her yard once and she couldn't even mow the yard without them terrorizing her. I would wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses if I were you.

Agreeing w/ ritaweeda - mockingbirds will defend their nests against any & all perceived threats; they are valiant little birds.

I recall many years ago, when I worked @ Countryside Mall, there was a mockingbird nesting in a tree in the employee parking area & it would dive bomb me on the way to & from my car.

& IME - once nesting season is over, that behaviour subsides.

I agree -- they are very brave little birds. I've seen them successful chase off many fish crows (3x larger than mockers).

I was dive-bombed once while walking in the park and it turned out that there was a dead baby mockingbird on the ground. It had been killed by another bird that preys on them. The parents were not sure if it was dead and were trying hard to protect it. Quite sad.

As for me, I'm always impressed by their dedication to their little family. People could learn a lot from Mockingbirds....

The mockingbirds around my yard don't seem to mind people or dogs, but cats and black racers beware!

John

It's true they do make excellent parents. Bird brains? Bah! Yes, human parents could learn a lot from the way these little ones protect their babies.

A couple of years ago I rescued a little fledgling that was displaced from its nest. The Wildlife guy came out and said it would be good if the mother bird would take it back. I put it outside and kept a close watch on it. Sure enough, the mother bird came squawking up and once again took up her quest to guard and feed her little one. Seemed the baby had two moms. Since it was hopping a lot along the ground and only onto lower branches. I spent a good part of the day keeping an eye on it along with its mother. Did this for several days. As we were leaving for vacation shortly thereafter, I had to just leave the little guy up to God and its mother. I think it had started flying to somewhat higher branches by this time. When we returned from our trip a couple of weeks later, it was no where to be found. Hopefully, it was already strong enough to be mostly on its own. Who knows? Maybe the one that's attacking me is that little bird all grown up. lol I'd hope that he'd remember my concern for him and be a little kinder to me. :-) Of course, it may not be the one I rescued at all.

hi
had a pair setup nesting about 3 feet above the ground
right in front of 5 gigantic neighborhood cats . Needless to say the nesting season was a washout .
Didn't seem too smart to me lol
I get a kick out of them trying to control who visits the bird feeder. Grackles andd Jays are not impressed by displays lol They also constantly try to run off my aviary birds .Several times have hit the wire so hard I thought it would break their neck, but still they don't get it. Eventually they do slow down the attacks but they never seem to figure out why the birds don't leave lol
That doesbn't seem too smart either lol.
This year they yet again failed to figure out the wonders of glass. You can see through it BUT you can't pass through it. Two squabbling males crashed into the patio door but both survived .lol I've had jays and Cardinals figure out when the door is open and that the cat food on the other side is delicious lol Now that seems smart to me .lol gary

FWIW (& I'm not assuming bluesky7 doesn't already know this) baby birds don't stay in the nest too long, once they begin to grow feathers. We deal w/ this all the time @ our park w/ the kids thinking a baby bird has fallen out of a nest, when it's really OK & the mama is nearby keeping an eye on things.

Here is a link that might be useful: baby wild birds

Early one morning I launched my canoe in a river, and as I was paddling away, I happened to look at my parked truck and there was a mockingbird fighting with it's reflection in my door mirror.
Toward sunset I came paddling back, and doggone if that stupid bird wasn't still fighting with himself! During the day's combat he had pooped at least once, then smeared it all over the glass.
I've seen carolina wrens and tufted titmice do the same thing.
Oh well, I guess you don't have to have much brains to be a successful bird.

We have a nest in the back yard with 4 small ones in it. I check on them every day and although the male/female (no idea which one) will always fly up and make some noise, she/he doesn't seem to mind too much and has never attacked me.

Jay, anyone,

I've never had them to attack me either until recently. Maybe these two parents just happen to extra protective and aggressive. Also, I wonder if they are more afraid of men than women or don't know the difference?

Sheri

Bluesky, that is an interesting thought, I wonder if they do know the difference...?

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your comments. Seems the birds are no longer attacking. Maybe the little ones are on their own now. I don't hear the peeping as often.

Sheri

My mockingbirds are now building a new nest in my mulberry tree. They abandoned their nest in the bush next to my front door after something took the eggs. I suspect it was a snake.
I've never seen mockers start a new nest this late in the year. Should be interesting to watch.

I think it's the weather. My pair has a nest in my large oak. The poor fish crows also have young and come every day to eat from the platform bird feeder. They are always attacked by the mockingbirds!! LOL!...

I really like their spunkiness. Mockingbirds are a 1/3 of the size of the crows, but fluff themselves up to look as "large" as the little birds can and make 'growling' noises while dive-bombing the crows. The poor grows are only interested in water from the bird bath and feeder food.

It's very entertaining!