Vanishing Mockingbirds - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

09-22-2003, 02:16 PM

Does anyone know why mockingbirds would be vanishing from prime mockingbird habitat in rural areas of Texas? The following worrisome reports were recently posted on the TEXBIRDS listserv (archives at http://listserv.uh.edu/archives/texbirds.html) -- thread name "Mockingbirds":

>> At 09:10 PM 9/21/2003, Gary and Donna Burrows wrote:
>>> Wondering if someone could give me a clue why I don't have
>>> mockingbirds on
>>> my property in Colorado County.
>>> We have owned it, now, since March 03, and average a once a week
>>> visit. I have yet to see or hear a
>>> mockingbird.

> We have 20 acres of Post Oak Savanna. The property is managed for a
> wildlife exemption. There is one approx.
> 200'x200' human made clearing. It is otherwise undisturbed by
> buildings, etc. Has 2 huge brush piles. A
> water source. Gazillons of bugs, beautyberries, four or five
> different oaks species, hickory, farkelberry,
> yaupon, Virginia creeper. We have the resident chickadees,
> titmouse, blue birds, wrens, cardinals,
> woodpeckers, and more, but no mockingbirds. It just seems a mystery
> to me what we are missing. I do actually
> miss this bird. Will want to do what I can to get him to "move in".

And a reply today reports: --------------------------------

Hi Donna,
It's funny that you posted this because I was wondering the same thing
this past week! We have 220 acres in NE Milam County, also Post Oak
Savannah and prime habitat for mockingbirds. Our MB's prefer the large
yaupon thicket islands (Ilex spp.) that are scattered in the open
pasture. We've owned the property about 31/2 years and this is the
first year I've not seen an abundance of mockingbirds. I observed a
few this Spring but none throughout the Summer.

On the positive side we observed our first covey of 10 Quail (Northern
Bobwhite) this past Saturday. I'm sure this is "no big deal" for a lot
of Texbirders but in our area they have vanished and I was told by more
than one wildlife management "expert" that they were gone for good and
reintroduction would be a waste of time.

Sharon Kersten --------------------------------

Could it be West Nile Virus or spraying for WNV that's causing this disappearance?

Betsy Baker in Dallas

09-22-2003, 08:34 PM

I have always enjoyed the mockingbirds out in the country and even at Seaword of Texas where they get a free meal. These are the smartest bird I know.

I have to tell you though, they seemed to have moved to the cities. Like San Antonio and Austin. They hang out in grocery store parking lots by the 100's and make the awefullest noises.
You can't park for 5 minutes without getting a new paintjob.
Telephone lines are lined with these birds.

Even the pigeons are confused by this.

Lita

kai · 09-23-2003, 08:10 AM

those big clusters of birds in parking lots in san antonio- the really loud ones- are mockingbirds? i thought they were grackles .

mockingbirds are actually song birds, right? they sing? the ones i'm thinking of (the ones that hang out in the trees of the medical center area parking lots, as well as the ones that hang out in the HEB parking lot by my house - both in san antonio) are shiny black, make a horrible grating noise that is completely unpleasant, and do not sing- they seem to make the most noise at dawn and dusk. these guys remind of Alfred Hitchcocks "the Birds" movie that my father used to make me watch for some reason.

i haven't seen a mockingbird before that i can think of... they seem to be greyish, and actually sing...

i'm not a birder at all. i don't know my species or anything. i don't keep lists. every time i see something, i have to go look it up on the internet (i figure this is the best way to educate myself). if someone could set me straight here, it'd be appreciated... its all about the self education. trying to keep my mind challenged.

09-23-2003, 01:14 PM

...I have to look birds up too, unless it's very obvious, like a cardinal.
A lady told me they were Mockingbidrs and the black shiney ones were the males, the grey ones were female. I just took her word for it. Let me know when you find out for sure, because I would hate to give the Mockingbird a bad name.
Yes, it reminds me of the movie the birds as well, especially when one of those birds swoops down at your head when you accidentally walk by it's young one out of the nest.
My Mom feeds many birds in her back yard and said when those black ones come, they terrorize all the other species.
I love birds, but I prefer the ones over here at the coast and migrating birds, over those black ones in San antonio. Is it only like that in Marbach HEB or all HEB's in SA?

:confused:

09-23-2003, 01:27 PM

I was way wrong. Those are not Mockingbirds, I looked at some photos of Mockingbirds and I was wrong. How sad about them disapearing like that.

I will have to look up what those birds in cities are and why we put up with such aggressive birds. ~Lita

09-23-2003, 01:44 PM

Sorry I keep going on about this...I am new to birding, I am having fun learning about wild birds and what they offer society, besides their song and charm.

I asked, what is a grackle good for and then I went here, http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/health...rol_birds.html

okay, I will try not to bring up those birds again.

~ Lita

Shannon · 09-23-2003, 02:02 PM

I was confused as to your comment as well. As you've discovered, those birds you've seen congregating and socializing loudly are great-tailed grackles or common grackles and not the State Bird of Texas, the Northern mockingbird. Grackles roost in large groups, whereas mockingbirds are primarily solitary. Mockingbirds are named for their ability to mimic MANY other sounds, including other songbird's songs, as well as more peculiar sounds, such as a rusty metal gate or even a dog barking.

Many people dislike grackles due to their raucous calls and their habit of flocking in large masses. However, it takes all kinds to make nature what it is. I think grackles are beautiful in their own way... look at one of the males shining in the sunlight sometime -- purple and blue-hued against deep black feathers and elegant long black tails (if they're a great-tailed grackle and it's not summer, when they shed their long tail in 'preference' of a lighter "wardrobe") Also, grackles do sing, though I guess to most folks it may not sound like typical bird song. I equate the grackle's song to what a robotic bird might sound like -- there's an eerie "electronic" quality about their voices. Even the female grackles are pretty, in their own way -- chocolate-colored breasts set against black.

Looks like I need to add more birds to the Wild Texas Wild Guides!

Regarding the "disappearing mockingbirds": I, too, have seen fewer Northern mockingbirds in my northeast San Antonio suburban backyard this year. I normally have one or two that stake out my suet feeders as their territory. I've heard one singing, but he hasn't opted to guard my feeders. I simply thought that due to the atypically wet year we have had, there are more than enough bugs for the mockingbirds, so they have little reason to fret over guarding a suet feeder.

If you're curious about my backyard setup, I have a small backyard but it's got good cover (two oleander bushes, an oak alongside my house, and 6 or 7 young green cloud Texas sage bushes against the back fenceline, though the sages are still less than 4" tall). I have 3 or 4 seed feeders filled with black-oil sunflower seed, as well as a birdbath equipped with a dripper, to keep it filled & attract birds. In the summer months, one of my seed feeders is replaced with a stocked hummingbird feeder. I have two suet cake cages, but don't tend to fill them in the heat of the summer since the suet quickly MELTS!

kai · 09-23-2003, 05:19 PM

hey Lita- glad that you're new to this bird thing as well. i think it can be really interesting, a challenge even, to try to figure out exactly what it is that we see. its a really good thing to challenge your mind often- i'm am terrified of developing alzheimers disease (i dont know that its heriditary, but i'm afraid regardless...)- i've seen a couple different studies that suggest that challenging your mind is the best way to keep it strong and in good working condition. not a cure by any means, but it helps to keep it working. so i'm always looking for something new to explore. (as a result, i'm all over the place with my interests, but oh well).

yup, we have HEB in san antonio. and the one near me, at least the last time i was there was full of grackles. not that i have anything against the grackle itself. well, the sound they make, very much like a robotic bird indeed, is grating at the very least. but the sheer number of them really freak me out- like they are plotting to take over the world... a grackle uprising. i'll get into my car one morning, look into my review mirror, and they'll be stalking me from the backseat, slowly peeking their shiny little heads up over seat... pecking my neck and earlobes... yuck - ALWAYS lock your car

the grackles must do a fair amount of eating bugs, mosquitos, that sort of thing, though, and in that respect, i don't mind them much at all. i have been hesitant to set up bird feeders at my house though- i'm sure my neighbors (as well as myself) would be unhappy if they decided to roost in my yard... maybe the dog would chase them off, or at least she'd get plenty of exercise though, so maybe when i get home, i'll get around to doing that. maybe i'll build one (like i said- all over the place with my interests)...

kai · 09-23-2003, 05:21 PM

i forgot to mention- thanks for that link on west nile testing... everyday when i walk our dog, she manages to find yet another dead bird, just lying there, otherwise unmolested. like it just randomly fell out of the sky. if its still like that when i get home (next week now- yay!), now i know who to call to ask about it.

Shannon · 09-23-2003, 05:50 PM

You'll have more problems with white-winged doves than grackles "attacking" your bird feeders if you do set them up. Grackles are almost strictly insect eaters (though they love staking out park picnic tables, the Zoo grounds, etc. where human food scraps can be found -- french fries, etc.) The only time I have any grackles anywhere near my yard is after a rainstorm when a small flock (less than 10 birds, usually no more than 5) will sometimes land in my front or back yard and eat insects -- worms, crickets, grasshoppers, etc.

White-winged doves, on the other hand, will GORGE themselves on any and all available seed available... and the seed they don't eat they will be sure to kick out into your grass, ensuring you'll be yanking up sunflower and millet sprouts in your lawn.

At my home, the white-winged doves are also the only birds ditzy enough to frequently fly head-on into my four large downstairs windows which look out into the backyard -- it's quite a depressing sight (they leave a little, dusty "dove imprint"!), and startling if you don't see it about to happen and prepare for the "whallop" that follows, though they're tough birds -- I've only found one dead, and the rest usually keep flying or land for a minute or less to regroup.

I tried hanging things in front of the windows, and even taping each window with a huge X, but with the tape up I actually had more dove-strikes! It was like they were aiming for the X's instead of being warned off by them... maybe my doves are a suicidal flock?

kai · 09-23-2003, 06:17 PM

maybe they are in love with their reflections....

i think i know the doves you are referring to- they aren't the same doves that we had in NE, but they have the same call as the doves that are at my uncles house in hawaii. and not the same doves that are up in washington state, that i have seen anyway... at any rate, they are all over my yard, and i love them because i can lie in bed with my eyes shut and pretend i'm back in hawaii...

09-24-2003, 01:35 PM

I only put seed out in the winter, but I am feeding humming birds right now.

Those doves are so cute. I had my first encounter with one when I heard a crash, went running to the window and saw the poor dove was dizzily walking on my window air unit. I picked it up and put it on a tree stump, hoping it would get it's bearings and fly off. It did, but the whole time I lived in that house in San Antonio, I had to check lots of doves who crashed into my window.

I live close to the birding center in Port Aransas now, I have yet to go there, but since I have been reading these posts and all, I am thinking it's time for me to go check it out.

~Lita

Shannon · 09-24-2003, 01:37 PM

Oddly enough, just yesterday I saw not one but three Northern mockingbirds having a little territorial fight over my backyard and a neighbor's. All three mockers looked to be in excellent health...none stopped to get a sip from my bird bath, and I don't currently have any suet cakes out for them to nibble from.

Shannon · 09-24-2003, 01:41 PM

brokenwing:

Check out one of my coastal birding trip reports for ideas on what bird species you may observe, as well as potential ideas on other places to check out -- the Port A. Birding Center is awesome -- you'll likely also see an American alligator or two on the shoreline (or under the boardwalk -- another favorite haunt) when you visit!

kai · 09-25-2003, 07:47 AM

yea, Lita, you should definately go. you may like it so much you'll need to go back again and again.

one thing i have learned in the past year or so is don't take the places around where you live for granted, assuming they'll (or you'll) always be there to enjoy. and don't put anything off. ever. i'm a walking Nike commercial- just do it. as soon as possible. ok. two things. sorry.

you should probably check out that birding center at least once a season. i don't know anything about it, but given where it is located, it probably gets a large number of migratory birds, and so what you'll see there will change almost every time you go.

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