With much lamentation I report the mockingbirds, recently so busy building a nest in the tree outside my patio, have been evicted.  It was not another pair of mockingbirds or even another animal; it was the weather.  We experienced a rather windy few days and a branch above the nest broke.  On its way down and out of the tree, it pierced their home and tore apart a significant chunk of it.  Sadly, it appears they considered it unrecoverable and have since moved into a tree some distance from me, and that will make it impossible for me to monitor their progress and eventual family.

It is sad, I know, but dry your tears for I have something with which to compensate all of us for this tragic loss: pictures!

While the Mr. and Mrs. have indeed moved to a safer haven in a tree abutting one of the nearby buildings and encircled on two sides by the man made structure, a situation I am confident provides a more secure environment, they continue visiting me in search of twigs and other materials with which to build their new home.  In fact, I see them stealing from their previous abode.  Yes, my mockingbirds recycle.  We should be proud of them, yes?

Anyway, I have watched them come and go from the tree and ground that once marked their territory as they make use of the original nest and related debris.  Once again standing on the patio with camera in hand, I was able to catch a few shots of the male as he was twig hunting.

The first photo I took as he landed outside the bushes and hopped in under their cover.

Once he was under the foliage of both the tree and bushes, the flash on my camera turned on automatically.  I was unable to turn it off without alerting him to my presence and frightening him away.  He was already watching me closely as he went about his business.  For that reason, I chose to leave the flash on and capture what photos I could — all the while hoping he would not be frightened away by it.

Luckily, he wasn’t.  He continued searching for that perfect piece of wood to be added to the foundation of his new pad.  While the flash did cause him to pause momentarily and look at me, he quickly returned to his work.

The last photo was taken just before he picked up a twig (seen in the bottom left corner of the picture) and scurried on to the new home he was building.

[northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)]