Baby Mockingbirds

 This is moma mockingbird...she has built a nest
in the crab apple tree in the garden.  For about 6 weeks whenever we went to water the garden she would swoop down on my head.  Mockingbirds are agressive birds, so I don't know if she is going to peck, scratch or what...the way she was doing it seemed harmless.

 Here they are all 3 have hatched.

 Feeding time.  If I touched the branch the nest was on they would open their mouth.  By this time she is not attacking us as much...but she would sit nearby on the okra about 5-8  feet away..watching.

 They are growing fast...it takes a lot of food to feed these big birds and both moma and papa are sharing the feeding.
Then one day I go to the garden to get a picture because I know they will be in flight school any day. On this day both parents are really agressive and I can hear chirping in the squash vines so I know that this is the day for learning to fly. I leave the garden without a scratch or a picture and called my husband to tell him. He said...I think it would be kinda cool to have a picture of the mockingbird flying toward you.  So I go back outside...what was I thinking...I am crazy... and the bird is in the tree.  I set the camera and zoom for about half the distance between me and the tree, even though I cannot really see the bird through the viewfinder.  Then I start moving toward the garden so she will fly toward me...a human target...and finally she does.  I am moving every which way, snapping pictures everywhere  and did not know if I had a picture or not...knowing that if I did it would probably be blurred. I was surprised when I looked at the pics...I did get one.  It took a little time in photoshop but at least its visible.

The mockingbird flying toward the human target...me. 

I hope you enjoy these...I love taking pictures of birds and mother nature.

Click on the link to view pictures of mockingbirds and facts.


http://www.northrup.org/photos/mockingbird/