To Kill (or not) A Mockingbird

Ready for Flight - Jeff Jones (FreeImages)

“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” — Harper Lee

I am a pacifist. I can’t imagine killing anything, let alone a bluejay. And especially not a mockingbird. No matter how long they keep me up at night.

Did you know that mockingbirds sing 24/7 for almost two weeks to establish their territory? I didn’t find this out until last year, when, bedroom windows open, I heard the cacophony of screaming, twittering, shouting and clucking outside.

ALL.

NIGHT.

LONG.

When a mockingbird decides that your yard has the best bugs, the best trees, the best whatever mockingbirds like best, you are in for a treat. And a nightmare. Because they are VERY territorial. They want to mate and raise their family, but they don’t want other male mockingbirds on their turf. It’s very West Side Story.

I probably exacerbate the situation because I buy these ridiculously sized jumbo oranges, cut them in half and put them on the courtyard wall for the mockingbirds to enjoy. That being said, the quail, the doves and all the other birds also enjoy them, including the elusive oriole.

I talk to the mockingbird every morning when I go out to walk the dog. He’s quiet for a couple of seconds; then he starts his singing again. It’s beautiful and annoying at the same time.

It reminds me that humans are territorial. We build fences around our property, we take our spouse’s last name (okay, the majority of us do), and we keep receipts for everything. We do everything the mockingbird does, but he only does it for a couple of weeks every year. We do it all the time.

I don’t know who’s better at this war; the mockingbird or us.

Probably the bird. At least he gets free oranges.