As I sat on the front porch yesterday afternoon reading a book and enjoying the nice weather, I was aurally accosted by a loud-mouthed intruder who was so enamored with his own voice, I suspect he’d make an excellent Senator.
Just kidding. Mockingbirds are too smart to run for public office; they’re more like lobbyists. Anyway, if you don’t have any of these birds in your neighborhood, you may enjoy hearing one show off.
Technical details: I recorded this on my iPhone, imported the recording into iTunes, then opened it in Adobe Soundbooth CS4 where I trimmed the beginning and ending, increased the loudness, and used the noise filter to remove the, um, noise caused by the breezy ambient conditions. The resulting recording is a pretty good showcase for the bird’s vocal versatility.
I was playing the recording and our cat came in the room and started looking for the bird. She recognized the sound. They torment her and she torments them!
Well, it must be pretty good if it can fool a cat!
I’ve been tormented by a mockingbird myself. One summer in Garland, I thought I’d have to wear a motorcycle helmet to mow the yard.