Nesting Mockingbirds - Day 155 - Daily Haiku

Nesting Mockingbirds
taking turns bringing tidbits
to their little loves

In my first post about the baby mockingbirds, I could only verify that I saw two eggs, though Marek, being considerably taller, saw three. And a couple of days ago, I clearly saw two babies, but thought there might be a possible third, though I couldn't really tell.

So today, I can finally confirm not two, not three, but FOUR baby mockingbirds in the nest, alternately hungry and sleeping. And I am doubly blessed, because the nest is situated just below my line of sight, meaning that I am seeing far more detail with these babies, than with any I've documented before, which is just wonderful.

And mom (or dad) has been fairly tolerant of my peering into the nest, and hasn't buzzed me once, as I keep reassuring the parents that I mean their babies no harm. I'm grateful for this as well, having watched them chase off large raptors from their nesting area, and I know they can leave a wicked wound when they dive bomb an animal.

Thank you, mockingbirds, for recognizing me as friend, not enemy.

Today I sprayed the grapevines with neem oil, and was very careful to spray away from the nest, and not to spray the foliage overhead. I did not want any to drip on the baby birds, as until they are fully feathered out, they can easily become chilled, which can be deadly at their young age.

Mom (or dad) watched this all with no real interest, just impatiently awaiting for me to vacate the area, so that they could continue to feed their nestlings.

I think that tomorrow I'll delve into the meal worms I've been raising for Toby and pull out a few choice ones for our new mockingbird parents.

I wish they would feast on the damned Japanese beetles, but so far, I've yet to see either go after one. Then again, I am inside much of the day, and I do know that mockingbirds have been known to feed on adult Japanese beetles.

Hopefully, between them and the neem oil, we'll finally get a handle on the JB once and for all.

Interestingly, I have yet to hear either mockingbird sing anywhere near the vicinity of the nest, which I'm assuming is so that they will not draw attention to the area, and thus give away the location of their nest.

That said, they have no problem with coming and going to and from the nest when I am close at hand, which I'm taking as a good sign, and am glad that my outdoor activities are not disrupting them too much.

Hopefully the meal worms will give them a much-needed protein boost, not that there is any dearth of bugs on our grounds,up to and including our detested Japanese beetles. And I suspect that the ready supply of Japanese beetles may have played a large role in choosing their nest site.

So when counting my blessings these days, I must count our lovely mockingbirds and their nestlings, with great hope that they all reach maturity, and stick around our woods to find mates and raise their own young.

And, naturally, eat LOTS AND LOTS of Japanese beetles.

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