[TN-Bird] of Osprey and Mockingbirds?

  • From: Laura Jennings McCall <laurajmccall@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: tn bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:55:16 -0500

A few weeks ago, my husband told me he'd heard an Osprey but couldn't  
locate it flying overhead, so he couldn't confirm it.  We dismissed it  
as unlikely (although perhaps we were wrong to do so), since we live  
at least a few miles from even the nearest finger of Tims Ford Lake.   
A few days later, I heard what I thought was an Osprey call, but,  
again, I couldn't see anything to confirm it.  How far do Osprey  
wander from water?

On a few occasions since that time, I have seen/heard a Northern  
Mockingbird doing an Osprey imitation.  I am wondering: does this in  
any way confirm that what we heard was an Osprey? I don't think that I  
mistook a mocker's rendition for the real deal (not that it hasn't  
happened before!) because this sounded more distant and higher up, as  
if in flight.  If there has not been an Osprey in the area, why would  
a mockingbird suddenly add the call to its repertoire?

I am always curious when a mockingbird adds a new song to its  
routine.  For instance, for the last couple of springs, I have heard a  
mockingbird do snippets of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo's song/call days  
before I hear the actual cuckoo.  Does the mockingbird have some sort  
of seasonal memory, or is it repeating a "novel" sound that has  
recently arrived in its environment? In other words, is the  
mockingbird's imitation an indication that the cuckoo has already  
returned?

Laura McCall
Lynchburg, TN (Moore County)
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                       MAP RESOURCES
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________


Other related posts: