#*%! Mockingbirds
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
3 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (23)
Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b thanked Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)Related Discussions
Mockingbirds vs bluebirds
Comments (3)Mockingbirds are very territorial. They are also great native birds to have around. Even if you could, I would not discourage them from being in your yard as they have a job to do just like the bluebirds do. If they have been reinforced by getting mealworms so far, you will have to do something to extinguish their behavior. One basic tenet of behavior is "unrewarded behavior eventually extinguishes itself." So, if you make it impossible for them to get any mealworms for a while, they will eventually stop defending the feeder and move on. One way to do this is to stop feeding the mealworms. The bluebirds don't need the mealworms. The mockingbirds will move on if they don't get any mealworms for a while. Another way you can do this is to create a feeder that will not allow the mockingbird to feed from it. A feeder that has holes that are too small for the mockingbird to fit in but will allow smaller birds into it would work to accomplish this. I will include a link to some plans. The thing that you will have to do is to train the bluebirds to recognize the new feeder. This will be hard when they are competing with the mockingbirds. You have to link the two feeders in their minds by gradually changing the feeder over so that the bluebirds connect the worms with the new feeder. The only way to do this is to have the new feeder open for a few days until the blues find them. Like I said this will be hard to do when the mockingbird is chasing them away, so I would stop feeding mealworms for a few weeks and then try this and see if the mockingbird forgets about it and moves on to a new source of food. The other thing you may have a problem with at some point are hawks that will notice the concentration of song birds at the feeder. This seems to be a bigger problem when you feed seeds as you have many more birds frequenting that kind of feeder. This also creates other problems besides hawks, like disease. I have seen enough people end up with hawk problems from artificial feeding to warn you that it could be the next problem you are facing. Hawks are a necessary part of the system as the bluebirds and the mockers, so you should be happy to have them all. The berry bushes in your yard are a natural way to feed everyone, but they double as cover that helps to protect the birds from the larger predators giving them a fighting chance. Just something to think about when you consider artifical feeding. Here is a link that might be useful: mealworm feeder...See Morehow do I attract mockingbirds and blue jays to my feeders
Comments (11)Thanks to you both, Lazygardens and bluegirl, I believe you are both right and I will continue to enjoy the mockingbirds and blue jays from the yard. I have two hummer feeders, two little bird feeders and one large bird feeder. Ive been spoiled by having the other birds being so close to the window, they have become personal to the cats and myself, being just inches to a few feet on the other side of the window. Right now, I have daily visits from about seventy to eighty mixed birds and hummers. House finches - two females and one male came in early spring, I think they were from last year, but they were new to me, I thought they were some kind of sparrow, I did a goggle search for a red headed sparrow, it came back with pictures and the name house finch, they had seven offspring. They stay at the feeders. Titmice are my favorite. One set of parents and four youngsters have three females and one male, going by the size of the black patches on their forehead. Cardinals mom, dad and five young, three males and two females, all hatched in late spring, mom had a large brood this year, seems like they will stay together, papa and momma is always close. In the early spring we had a good number of blue birds with a pinkish chest, and a yellow finch, haven't seen the blue bird since the middle of spring, any idea where the blue bird went would be helpful. The yellow finch will show up every two or three weeks. The hummers are another story, I have no idea how many females there are from one day to the next, but there have been at least six males from time to time, since they are in a constant chase with the females, I can get a pretty accurate count on the males, I have had as many as six females outside the window at once. Thanks again...See More"To Kill A Mockingbird" removed from Biloxi, Miss. schools curriculum
Comments (41)rob, I'm flattered that you remembered something I'd said in passing. In return, I looked at the link you posted to find where The Lorax had been banned. It turns out it was in 1989 in Laytonville, CA, population 1200. There in logging country, it was banned for demonizing the forestry industry. Nowhere else. Nowhere else. It may be instructive to know that the area around Laytonville, in Mendocino County, has long been the most active center for the cultivation of another, higher value agricultural product. The school district may have partaken of a bit too much of the second when enacting this ban. You can pass over this one and forget about it safely, it's indicative of nada. And the other ones on the map aren't much either, pockets of dumb things done in very small places. After going through that, I'd conclude - no significant censorship exists in California schools. That surprises me a bit. But this is something other than political correctness, if I understand. Just like the Scopes Trial (over 90 years ago and still debated in some places), it's a matter of a minority of parents trying to control what's done in schools for all children, when it doesn't line up with their own views. Efforts to stop discussions about racism are focused in the South. That wasn't my information, it was in the article. An irony is that I would guess some percentage of the parents in Biloxi complaining about the book, and the presence of the offensive N word, may very well use that word themselves. And not in a friendly way....See MoreThieving Mockingbird
Comments (7)Carol, I love mockingbirds. When I was a teenager, my dad had one that lived in our Cassina tree in the front yard. It would jump down and walk him to his car every morning, and meet him in the evening, and walk him back to the house. Dad named it Sam. I had one at my old house that would sit up on the aluminum antenna on my neighbor's house right outside my bedroom, and peck on it to wake me up in the morning. As soon as I showed my head outside, he would stop. He loved my elderberries. I've had a mockingbird attach itself to me everywhere I've lived. I think it should be my spirit animal. I had forgotten it's our state bird. Well, then, I have both of my state birds here at my apartment. There is a pair of Carolina wrens (South Carolina) and the mocker. I love them both....See Moresocks
3 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRichard (Vero Beach, Florida)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b thanked Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
3 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)
3 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b thanked Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
3 years agoUser
3 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
3 years ago
Related Stories
PRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: Shed a Little Light on the Subject
These smart-looking task lamps will add functionality and style to your study space or desk
Full StoryPRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: Solve Your Bathroom Storage Woes
Keep your bath neat and organized with these attractive cabinets, shelves and hampers
Full StoryPRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: Retro Charm for a Home Office
Let furniture and accessories with yesteryear flair inspire you to get work done today
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESHow to Bring the Joy of Bluebirds to Your Garden
Attract these beautiful songbirds with nesting habitat and food sources, including berry-producing trees and shrubs
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BIRDSWhat to Know About Birds Nesting in Your Yard
Learn how to observe, record data and help ornithologists with NestWatch’s citizen science project understand bird trends
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIESGreat Design Plant: 'Charity' Oregon Grape
Giving nectar to hummingbirds and delicious berries to all, 'Charity' is a four-season garden delight that lives up to its name
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Nourish Wildlife With American Beautyberry
The bright purple berries of Callicarpa americana feed winged beauties and make the Southeast U.S. native a fall garden standout
Full StoryPETSSo You're Thinking About Getting a Dog
Prepare yourself for the realities of training, cost and the impact that lovable pooch might have on your house
Full StoryLIFEHouzz Call: Where (and What) Are You Reading This Summer?
Whether you favor contemporary, classic or beach reads, do the long and lazy days of summer bring out the lit lover in you?
Full StoryTRAVEL BY DESIGNTravel Guide: Austin, Texas, for Design Lovers
You'll find fantastic food along with incredible art and architecture in this capital city, deep in the heart of Texas
Full Story
nickel_kg