To LOVE a Mockingbird. .

or. .

Nockingbird. .as Cami calls them.

Believe it or not. .

these are among my fave in the bird population.

They have one of the most clear and beautiful voices of any. .

and they are most despised for this trait!!

Especially among those who enjoy sleeping with their windows open in the spring.

I was pleased to announce to my hubby (a notorious nockingbird HATER) Friday (when I figured out what was amiss here) that some new neighbors were moving in.

You can barely see the mocking bird hidden in the branches in the center of the photo. .They spent their weekend building a grass/twig nest in the spruce tree in our front yard. There is the possibility that two pairs are building nests there, as I have seen them carrying nesting materials to both blue spruce trees.

I couldn't ever quite get them at the end of their flight in, with their white wing patches lighting up. .that is the easiest way to tell what they are. They sing from the spruce, then to the barbed wire fence, then to the top of the swing set, to the smokestack on the outdoor furnace, and to the cedar tree row and back again. Even Cami can accurately ID them now!

We have been shutting the window in our bedroom at night to facilitate Sleeping Beauty's rest habits. .and to facilitate the life of the resident mockers. .

I quickly found this audio clip of a mockingbird in action. .
click here  to listen to it's beautiful singing. This clip TOTALLY cracked me up. .because it is so completely "what it is!" The clip is 7:43 minutes long. .if you can hang in there until the 2nd minute. .you will have a good idea of how many different songs they sing at once. . They have a really clear tone. .and are really unmistakable after you have spent some quality time in your bed wishing them to go hoarse. I did some other computer work while I played this audio on youtube. .and by the 5th minute I was laughing sooo hard!!  Especially when I remembered that this poor guy was obviously listening to the bird at night!! They may sing for hours on end. .reminding me much of the mouths of my two youngest!! There are also some great mockingbird facts that scroll through the video for your viewing pleasure.

In other birding news. .These two tree swallows are nesting in one of the bluebird boxes. Cami and I spotted 1 egg in the box with the nesting material.

My neighbor has spied 2 pair of bluebirds at the same time in my drive. .me. .only one set at a time. We found 5 tiny bluebird eggs in the nesting box closest to the highway. We hope to see some babies soon.

Between the birds and the chickens. .we are hoping for a small insect population this summer!!

Enjoy the audio of the "nockingbird!" In order to fully understand the complete and total annoyance to some, you MUST listen to the whole clip. .turn up your speakers and find something else to do for 7  minutes!!

Have a super week!!