What’s Up?
It’s not my style to be posting photos of birds while they are in the middle of molting their plumages, although it is a natural process very beneficial to birds, this process also implies taking a high risk, by shedding flying essential feathers they increase their vulnerability versus predators, which in turn increase their chances of catching more prey and do it more often.
What prompted me to touch the subject of molting was because I found evidence that predators (cats) had been raiding my backyard. I understand the natural laws of wild life but it bothers me when the balance tilts to one side more than the other.
Let me tell you a short real story, about something that happened to me in my backyard about a month ago
Just like every day, at early morning I go out to my backyard bringing seeds to refill the bird feeders, do some clean up, etc. Usually is quite and calm, everything looked normal…Suddenly! I heard a hawk’s high pitch cry! I look all around and I can not see the hawk anywhere. I can hear the predator’s screeching sound again and again, I look in the direction where the sound comes from, that’s one of my neighbor’s backyard, he has a yard wooden fence…that’s when I see a long hair cat jump over the fence desperately and I see three Mockingbirds chasing him! One of the three birds is imitating the hawk’s cries! I laughed at this scene out loud (by myself like a crazy man).
How cool is this story? You tell me.
“Birds are so much fun!”
Photo Gallery
-
- Brown-headed Cowbird (M)
-
- Mourning Dove
-
- Northern Cardinal (F)
-
- Brown-headed Cowbird (M)
-
- Northern Cardinal (F)
-
- Blue Jay
© HJ Ruiz – Avian101
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
It’s a really cool story. I live in England, and if I’d been lucky enough to see and hear that Mockingbird, I would have written in to our national magazine, “British Birds” as an interesting piece of bird behaviour for publication. Is there a national magazine like that in the USA? It’s worth a try!!
Yes, there are several but I always keep my stories exclusive for my followers.Thank you so much for your vote of confidence John! 🙂
Wonderful photos and story. Score one for the birds😊
Thank you Belinda. Aren’t they awesome? 🙂
Love the Mockingbirds, wish I had a few to chase off predators in my yard. Cats are not natural predators although they must have been somewhere! But I have had skunks lately… I can relate to how you feel about pictures of molting birds but I find it interesting too, to watch them transform.
Thank you for sharing my friend. I see the birds as an extension of my family. 🙂
Ha! The birds ARE my family. 🙂
Very cool indeed!
Thanks Susan! 🙂
I would like one of those birds to chase off the cats that come into our garden. Good story.
Thank you Tom! 🙂
This is why I love mockingbirds. They are so very very clever and resourceful, with such an impressive repertoire of sounds. Really great story, HJ!
I like those guys, I’ve been witness to a lot of heroic actions by them! Thanks Jet! You know I like them too! 🙂
A brilliant story HJ!
It’s just the simple truth! Thanks Clare! 🙂
🙂
That is a cool story, H.J.!! I love that Mockingbird 😀
Thank you Tiny! Mockingbirds are great birds! 🙂
Its pretty cool! Those mockers even used a good voice for the situation! 🙂
Exactly, that was a clever strategy to scare the cat! Thanks Lorrie! 🙂