Mockingbirds by Mary Oliver

This morning
two mockingbirds
in the green field
were spinning and tossing

the white ribbons
of their songs
into the air.
I had nothing

better to do
than listen.

Mid-April in New Hampshire goes from brown to green, from cold to warm, from sleep to awakening. The heat pumps and furnaces have quieted, and the birds are stirring up their usual spring medleys. We begin to crack the windows in our bedroom for fresh air and morning bird sounds. On a recent morning those sounds were particularly cacophonous - sounding like a dozen species all singing loudly from the red maple tree near our window. But when I went to look, there was only a single bird joyfully singing a dozen songs, and I knew that our northern mockingbird had returned. So, heeding Mary Oliver’s advice, I lay back in bed with “nothing better to do than listen.”

Two and a half years ago in the first pandemic year I wrote here about the mockingbird in a blog post called “Hush Little Baby.” It contains many of the “fun facts” about this remarkable bird. There’s not a lot that I can add to that post where you’ll find links to a singing mockingbird as well as a singing Burl Ives and a duet of YoYo Ma and Bobby McFerrin.

Meanwhile, I am happy that this fellow has returned and hope he spends the summer nearby. For the photos captured today he seemed almost to pose and dare me to come as close as I liked. Mockingbirds are more comfortable than many birds around humans and fiercely defensive of their nests and territory. Today he seemed to be defending the bluebird house in the southwest corner of our yard, but that could not possibly be a home for this large bird. Hopefully, he will allow our bluebird pair to continue their nesting inside while I have nothing better to do than listen.