Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The Boss

1/640 sec. f/8 ISO 1000


1/400 sec. f/8 ISO 1000


1/640 sec. f/8 ISO 640

The Northern Mockingbird is one of the few birds that will stand up to the hordes of European Starlings and House Sparrows.



42 comments:

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Hi Brian. Wonderful close up shots of this lovely bird.

Andy said...

With looks like that I can understand why he is the boss.

Ramakrishnan said...

Fierce piercing eyes - he is really mocking at us !

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Beautiful Brian and ha ha you sure got that title right. Oh My Goodness, none of the birds have a chance if a Mockingbird has claimed a tree, a bush, or series of same. Sometimes I just have to step outside and allow a break so the other smaller birds can have a taste. They will even dash at the heads of Hawks, people and dogs if they get near their nesting area~

TexWisGirl said...

love that fierce look! :) we keep them all year round - and seldom get starlings or house sparrows out here - so they can run amok. :)

Amy Burzese said...

A grumpy looking gus, that's for sure. They buzz us every day when they have young ones around. Great shots of "the boss".

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Great closeup! He looks like he means business!

Karen said...

He looks like he means business. Great captures of a handsome bird I don't see here!

Connie Smiley said...

He kinda put a look together with the heron in your header. Black and white and yellow eyes. Wonderful photos, and I love his name.

Gail Dixon said...

When I rigged up dead branches over the feeder station, a mockingbird quickly claimed the territory. But I noticed he was only chasing away the starlings. He let the sparrows, chickadees, etc. feed without incident. I had more respect for the mockingbird after that.

You have three excellent images here showing off his personality.

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

Your pictures are so awesome ... so much detail. I feel like I could reach right in and pick the bird up. I love the Mockingbird (who doesn't) I love their three repeat mimics and the little flighty jump they do at the end of a song. Beautiful, beautiful, Brian ...

Andrea @ From The Sol

JOY @ http://joysjotsshots.blogspot.com/ said...

I would not want to be an insect around "The Boss." enJOYed the capture of the delicate looking "toes."

Anni said...

Texas State Bird!!
Love your close up images Brian.

Dave said...

Nice images. I have often thought about the House sparrow and how it behaves differently on either side of the pond. I have a family of House Sparrows in my garden, they only feed on the ground and even on the otherside of the garden. The various Tit species mingle in with them but the Sparrows never get demonstrative at all. I would even say that in my garden they are nowhere near the top of the food chain.

Now the Starlings can be over powering if they are in large numbers!

Debbie said...

oh he is the boss indeed....around here they have a lot of "motsy"....i think that means guts!!

anyway, i love that you shared three images today. and i love his petty little "paws"!!

really awesome images!!

Montanagirl said...

That first photo is a winner! Looks like he's daring anyone to mess with him! Nice series, Brian.

Nancy J said...

Such a powerful glare, and superb close-ups. Fitting words to this magnificent bird. Cheers from Jean

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh he is wonderful...we have them here, but I didn't know what a fighter they were ....wish more birds could take on those starlings. You get the best expressions...just great.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh he is wonderful...we have them here, but I didn't know what a fighter they were ....wish more birds could take on those starlings. You get the best expressions...just great.

A Colorful World said...

The mocking bird has always been one of my favorites. You have some stunning portraits of him!

Bas. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bas. said...

Ja zo kijkt hij wel.

Unknown said...

Beautiful! He's not very colourful but he could be one of the Angry Birds.

sunshine said...

He looks really like a boss, somewhat too strict, great photo.

eileeninmd said...

I wonder why head bird shots make them look mad. These are awesome shots of the Mocker, Brian!

Pamela Gordon said...

Yes, indeed, you are the boss! We had a northern mockingbird around here 2 summers ago all by itself. They are not common here at all and he was fun (and annoying early in the morning) to watch and listen to. I don't know what happened to it.

genie said...

I do not think if I were a bird I would want to get in a fight with this fellow. That is one mean looking face. You captures just blow me out of the ballpark. I so look forward to see your posts.

Anonymous said...

Love those mockers! Great close-ups.

Saun said...

He's giving the look great shots!

Janice said...

Love all three but the first makes me smile at the look!

Ida said...

Oh my he does have a very "stern" look about him. That first shot is priceless.

TheChieftess said...

That first one has got to be a curmudgeon Mockingbird...he's looking quite annoyed that you are daring to invade his space!!! Great images!!!

Tanya Breese said...

oh that first shot cracked me up...what a face!!

Kerri Farley said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Rohrerbot said...

Oh that face says so many things:) Excellent close ups Brian!

Lindsjö taxar said...

Love it!
What great close ups...he looks for sure not satisfied.
Majsan//

Grandma C said...

I love the mocking bird. I think my favorite shot is the second photo. It's the lighting on his belly that makes him look like he is glowing.

Adam Jones said...

Fantastic close up shots. And a really nice bird to boot.

betty-NZ said...

Wow! Those are simply amazing shots!

Anonymous said...

What amazing shots!

Anonymous said...

I recognized that pretty face immediately! Our mockingbird showed up again this past week after roaming elsewhere for awhile. It's one of my favorite birds. Great shots!

Jen said...

I've seen one take on a flock of over 100 birds that wanted into his tree and he won! Mockingbirds are fun to watch.