nature article

Listen to the Mockingbird Earl Plato

It was dead. What a beautiful bird. It had flown into the path of Ray’s truck. Ray placed it in a shoebox and stopped at my place. He said, “I think it’s a Northern Mocking bird.” He was right. They are in the area. I’ve seen them many times at our Stevensville Conservation area.
They are robin-sized, long tailed and slender. I lifted the gray coloured bird from the box. I could see the tell tale “Peterson” marks of white patches on the wings and tail. There were no signs of outward trauma. A broken neck we assumed. Too bad.
“Listen to the mocking bird, listen to the mocking bird.” You know the old song. The Northern Mocking bird breeds in Southern Ontario. Confusing? Of course most of us think of it as a bird of the South. Its notable song is heard in the daytime around here in breeding/nesting time. The song tells us that the mocking bird sings all day long and nighttime too. The Audubon bird book tells us, “Its beautiful song is richest on warm moonlit nights in late spring, when the bird may give amazing imitations of at least thirty-six other species.
How old was our dead bird? Mature, I believe. It measured over ten inches.
***
William Thomas of Wainfleet. Of course I know of him. I doubt if he knows me. While at a Canadian Authors Conference in Toronto years ago I had Bill autograph one of his books. Quite a line of people. Ben Wicks and Bill were guest speakers at that session. Ben, the late, famed political cartoonist, spoke first. He was humorous as you would expect. But William Thomas with no notes that I could see was extremely funny. His delivery material was up to date. His political satire had us holding our sides. I went away appreciating the man more as a speaker and writer. So.
Guess what? Daughter Diane, her husband John, and two sons, Lucas and Jesse, have moved to Wainfleet! That’s right for now I will visit William Thomas’ kingdom on a regular basis. On a bend of the Welland River in Wainfleet they are establishing a great home. It’s a home for bird sighting - small and big.
We were up there the other day and saw a Ruby-throated hummingbird on their porch. In the trees to the west Baltimore orioles were singing. Their black and orange colours showing vivid flashes. Down at the river’s edge a huge, Great Blue Heron was searching for frogs and fish. That’s just one day in Wainfleet and I didn’t even have my bird spotting scope with me!
Who knows if I go to down town Wainfleet some day I may even spot William Thomas. I’ll say “hello” to him. I know what he looks like, eh.