The Feathered Marvel

There is a slight storm blowing around outside. Rain is gently falling and there is the occasional rumbling of thunder. The thunder that graces my senses is my favorite, a low rumble. The rumbling reminds me so much of the giant drums in an orchestra's percussion section. It truly is music to my ears.

As if the rain and thunder were not enough to enjoy there is a lovely little mocking bird serenading the storm. I've finally come to appreciate the mockingbird. They make the most lovely sounds and are able to mimic other birds. It's rather astonishing to think about actually. A male mockingbird can have anywhere from 50 to 200 different songs and has one of the loudest voices of all the different species of birds. Gregg and I can attest to how loud a mockingbird can actually sing since we had one perched outside our bedroom window for two years in our old home. We lost countless hours or sleep because of that bird and we began to hate the mockingbird because of it's schizophrenic hours.

Our new mockingbird neighbor though is very kind to us. He prefers a tree across the parking lot and never comes close to our windows. He sings at all hours of the day and night but it's considerate enough to keep its distance. I'm convinced that distance is tightly connected to how much a person enjoys and appreciates the mockingbird. The closer you are to one the more annoying it becomes. If there's a decent amount of distance, enough to soften the mockingbird's song, you are more likely to enjoy these feathered marvels.

I've decided that the mockingbird is alot like a musical chameleon. It is able to change its song as quickly as the thought strikes. It only has to choose which song it wants to sing, what other bird it wants to mimic. Did you know that a mockingbird can even mimic the sound of a car alarm? I don't know why that surprises me but it does. Considering that mockingbirds are very comfortable in suburban areas it makes sense that it would learn to mimic the sounds that surround it.