Monday, June 09, 2014

Baby Mockingbird RIP

It was a sad morning when I came out to check on the mockingbird nest of little peeps. For some reason, the little peeps sound was a bit diminished to my ears. However, the adult mockingbirds were as protective as ever of the nest as they hopped from branch to branch giving me the serious stink eye and cautioning me to move on.

Each day, especially in the early mornings, I will walk to the side of my backyard to get a good angle at the sunflower garden. There is a bit of a rise at the corner of the fence near the remaining giant water oak. As I stand up a bit, I capture some of the best landscape shots of my blossoming sunflower garden.

I'm not sure why this morning was a little different. Perhaps it is my maternal, nurturing instinct that made me walk towards the back of the property along the tree line of crepe myrtles. Then, my eyes were directed to the ground. Oh my! I couldn't believe my eyes.

Dead Baby Mockingbird RIP
Baby Mockingbird RIP : June 9, 2014 8:40am
That is a picture of how I found the dead baby mockingbird. I looked at it for a while and then found a stick of cypress mulch to turn it over and check what might have killed that baby mockingbird.

Dead Baby Mockingbird RIP
Baby Mockingbird RIP : June 9, 2014 8:40am
When I looked at the right side of the dead bird, it confirmed that it was a mockingbird. And, when I see those feathers, they are very much like the size of the feathers that were found in my front yard the day the red shouldered hawk was stripping a captured bird in my Drake Elm tree!

Dead Baby Mockingbird RIP
Baby Mockingbird RIP : June 9, 2014 8:40am
Looking at the left side of the dead bird, it looks pretty in contact. I am not sure what might have killed this baby mockingbird! What's interesting is that the baby bird has some mighty strong looking legs and feet!Take a closer look at the feet -- don't they look mighty wicked for a mockingbird?

After a bit of examining the baby bird, I could see the flies were already clued in. An especially odd looking green one was comfortably attached to the body. I came inside and got a small shovel for digging. Next to where I found the body, I started to dig a deep hole. I picked up the dead bird with the shovel and set it into the deep hole. Then, I covered it with the dirt and tamped it down. RIP baby mockingbird!
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2 comments:

Moe a.k.a. @biggirlblue said...

That's sad. There has been a flux of dead animals around here, a few birds and a few baby squirrels -- we got rid of our feed just in case it was rancid (I really don't think it was but there is no way to know) -- hoping it wasn't someone who hates creatures who poisoned them which was my first thought. Here's to no more RIP this season.

11:31 PM
Julie Ann Brady said...

Oh my, Moe! I did not think of poison. I was just thinking of where I found the dead bird. It was near where the next door neighbor was emptying a pan of something over a week ago. And, also where she threw a large limb that had been propped up in her back yard for a while. So, who knows? That's the first dead bird or animal I've found recently. Another one started hopping around the yard yesterday. The adult mockingbirds have been dive bombing the two cats that came into my yard yesterday and this morning. I haven't been able to find the little one, but do hear the baby sounds! Hoping for the best.

8:28 AM

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