I love them! I have a youpon and every fall when the berries get ripe, a mocker moves in and gorges on them for days, and keeps other birds away.

BTW, how do you like them talking to you at 4 am?

I'm sure they do know you. I have a year-round hummingbird that tells me when his feeder is empty. When he sees me on the porch, he hovers as close to the screen as he can at eye level and stares right in my eyes. I have a family of cardinals that sit in the chichasaw plums and scold until I refill their feeder with sunflower seeds.

I once had a cow that came running at me, bellering and hopping up on her hind legs. It was obvious she wanted me to follow her. She led me straight to her one-day old calf that had fallen in the creek and couldn't get out. My husband and I managed to fish him out. She didn't even thank us.

Somehow, animals know that humans can help when they're hungry or in dire circumstances and if we're kind, they consider us an essential part of their lives.

I'm glad you mentioned your signaling hummer, floridarosesez, because I thought I might be losing it a little when it seemed like our favorite hummer was signaling me on a regular basis for the past two years. Most amazing to me is that in spring, when the hummers return, this tiny bird will hover closely to our breakfast nook window, staring intently while I eat my Cheerios. It's then I realize his return, and by darn, I'd better get the feeder out. He even eyeballs me while I sit in my rocker on the patio if I've been remiss and let the feeder go empty. This same little guy likes to perch in the magnolia bush next to the feeder, lying in wait for another hummer to attempt a little sip from the feeder. Then the buzzing, whirring, high pitched chirps, and fighting begins. Around and around the yard they chase each other, and it goes on dozens of times during the day. I miss all the ruckus now that the hummingbirds have flown south. Already I am awaitng their spring return. Diane

It's funny, isn't it, Diane, how they can talk to you w/o saying a word, and you're right, they're territorial little buggers. We call it the Hummer Wars. And when you're working in the garden, don't dare get in their flight path between favorite plants, or they will vent their annoyance over that, too.

Because hummingbirds fought over the feeder, I got a second one and put it on the opposite side of the house so that they could not see them both at once. I thought that they'd be zipping back and froth until theirs little heads spun but noticed no such thing.

One year I was hand quilting a very red quilt. Sometimes if I had a few moments in the morning, I would take it out onto our open porch to quilt. One day a hummer came almost within reach and hovered, moved sideways a few feet, hovered again and then repeated. He must have thought that it was the largest flower he had EVER seen and was loath to give it up.

Cath

I was once upon a time married. My husband and I were vactioning in New Mexico. Camping. One morning, he was sitting under a tree wrapped in a red plaid blanket while I prepared breakfast. He had a red beard. Would you believe, a hummer came and started flitting around his beard!

I like the mocking birds when they are happy and singing. I like them less when they are nesting and they make that horrible shreak as they dive bomb me. They're jekyll and hyde birds.

I've just hung my first hummingbird feeder. I saw a few this summer tasting the few flowers, but hopefully, now that I've put up a diner, they'll come more often.

I also put up a squirrel feeder; I have several families of squirrels who live in different trees (and in one tree, you can see a wonderful pair of nests...). I'm hoping that I can entice them to eat the stuff in the feeder and not things in the ground, but I dunno.

I love to be able to try to help out the animals...I have 10 cats, all rescues. Two thoroughbred horses, both rescue. Two dogs, one a rescue (I purchased my Newfoundland, as I couldn't find one in a rescue anywhere at all). And if I had more room, I'd have more animals.

And yes, I've had animals in bad situations select me for help...and I do my best for them. Most recently, a full bred german shepherd dog leap into the trunk of my car, needing a home. I couldn't keep her, but I found someone who could, and now she's rehomed, and totally content (I get an email from "her" on occasion...it's wonderful to read her progress).

I don't know why critters select one person and not another; I'm just thankful I'm able to be of help to those who've come to me. And I'm glad I can feed those local critters; they'd survive well enough on their own (have for decades), but it's nice to share the bounty with them, you know?

This is a sweet thread to read.

Best-
Herding Cats

The mocking bird is the state bird of Tennessee. I love them. I just looked out the window for one and discovered my netherland dwarf rabbit "care bear" has flown the hutch!
Susan

We've had several baby bunnies that were born fairly close to the garden and one would often rest under Mutabilis, which is planted against the front of the house, near the front door. He would let us get very close and seemed to realize that he was safe when he was near us. Many of the bunnies will start to hop away when they see us but will stop when they recognize our voices. I'm convinced that a three-legged cottontail has survived as long as he has because he sticks close to the house and garden. There was even a wise old lizard who seemed to recognize me and allowed me to come very close. I was so sad when he disappeared one day.

Ingrid

I miss mockingbirds and cardinals as well; I haven't seen either of them since we moved up here. But we've made the acquaintance of some other grey birds. We went hiking the other day and saw them again. I don't ordinarily mess with wildlife, but these birds are so fun. This is where we were -

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and this is what they do when we stick out a hand -

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I didn't know there were other birds that did that, Harbor. Florida's Scrub Jays will land on your hand and eat out of it too. They have absolutely no fear of humans. Isn't it neat? The Scrub Jay is endangered because of habitat loss. I wonder about your little bird, but judging from your gorgeous picture, probably not.

What a view! You're lucky to be living in a place like that.

The bird, I don't know what it is, but it looks like a young one.

In August, some friends and I went to a hibiscus nursery. The owners had 10 hummingbird feeders hung in a huge old crepe myrtle tree. There must have been 150 hummers flying around - it was fascinating! I have hummer feeders placed around in the yard, but never thought of putting alot of them hanging in one tree. We were mesmerized at watching all the birds feeding! I am trying that next summer!
Judith

We have a few special bird visitors.

One is a mocking bird who learned the cockatiel's squawk and cockatiel did the mocking birds calls. Quite a combo! The cockatiel died this summer, he was in his 20's. Wonder what the mocking birds will think when they return. He would sit on top of a low telephone pole and sing his heart out when we were working in the yard.

We also have our favorite family of Hooded Orioles who return year after year to the banana trees, I have a couple more pups to dig up and move around so hopefully we can have a few more of them.

And because mom always tosses grain to the chickens at bed time, about an hour before sunset, hordes of birds come to the yard and wait for the grain.

My cousin brought his birding group from Denmark to come and visit last year, we were a good first stop and he knew that the birders would find new birds and enjoy the garden. And mom enjoyed using her Danish.

The hummers come out for the sprinklers on the lawn, the finches after the thistle seed.

Of all, the towhees I think get favorite status, there is almost always one there in the bushes.

Every morning I fill the bird feeders, and put out peanuts for the crows. I had noticed that, when talking with their young, or when courting, the crows used a sort of chuckling/chortling sound, instead of their normal squawking. I saw a TV show that said that crows can recognize human faces. Anyway - now each morning when I wake up I hear the crows squawking in the garden, wanting their peanuts. When I go out with the peanuts, a couple of the crows always make the chuckling sound at me! Last week I was talking a walk, and was about 10 blocks from home, when I walked under a large tree and heard that sound - I looked up and there was one crow in the tree peering at me! I told him I only dispensed peanuts in our garden -

Jackie

How lovely to have such good bird friends! I don't know that we get mocking birds this far north but I do get to see them when I visit my sister in Kentucky. They're great birds to watch.

I feed the birds all over my garden so I have a lot of different kinds that come, robins, jays, chickadees, cardinals and such. And the waddling mourning doves too, lol! Because I'm on the lake we also get the occasional duck, goose or gull that pops in. My neighbor has a koi pond. A loon or crane of some kind cleaned out all her expensive koi for her! She just gets the cheap gold fish for it now.

They're a type of jay, too, called grey jays; it is so odd to have these wild birds land on your hand and eat. They live pretty high up in the mountains, so I wanted you to see where they live. Just reading about them some since we discovered them, we've learned they constantly scrounge for food, mix it with their saliva and stuff it in trees so they have food over the winters. They seem to be absolutely fearless. Florida, these guys are obviously related to your scrub jays.

It is beautiful here, but every place I've been has had spots of incredible beauty.

We have a number of owls that live close to us. The other night we woke up to the sound of a duet of an owl and some other creature putting out an unearthly sound.

We lay in bed and listened and finally realized the other part of the duet was a cat imitating the owl. I've heard that cats chatter in imitation of the birds they watch as a way to draw them. I guess this cat was after the owl. Unearthly sounds.

I am so enjoying this thread with all the stories!