Two months ago, a mockingbird began attacking my house.
Every single day, it starts pecking in the bedroom window, moves to the bath, and wings around to the family room. Sometimes it pecks my Jeep. This morning, I stopped working on copyedits to film this weird, little bird. Is this bird trying to get in? Attack? Sell me something?
My mother says when a bird pecks a window, it means someone in the house will die. Yeesh, I hated that explanation, so I Googled "bird pecks window" until I found a better answer.
According to old wives' tales, the pecking means news is on the way. But it also means that the mockingbird has seen its reflection but thinks it has spotted another bird. So the mockingbird is freaking out. The cure is to put up a decal. I taped a magazine cover to the bathroom window, but the bird still pecks all day long, moving from window to Jeep to window. Anyway, here is the bird today, Sunday, tap-tap-tapping:
Note to self: buy a bird feeder. And hope the Mockingbird finds a mate.
(bird photos courtesy of Shutterstock; crappy video by Mlee's iPhone.)
(bird photos courtesy of Shutterstock; crappy video by Mlee's iPhone.)
13 comments:
I feel for you. We had a mocking bird a couple of years ago that sat in a tall tree every night and made all kinds of noise all. night. long. If it had been visible at night I think my husband would have found it and eliminated it. This went on for three weeks. We were told it was looking for a mate and that they do weird things during this process. Hopefully yours finds some company soon as well.
Definitely not sweet and gentle like the song 'Mockingbird Hill' ~~
to wake up in the morning on Mockingbird Hill ... I sang those lyrics all the time as a girl.
I think he needs a hobby:@) Hope he moves on soon for your sake!
I live in Texas and Mocking birds are our state bird. They are very VERY territoriality, I have seen then dive bomb hawks to protect their territory. What your feathered friend is more than likely doing is seeing his/her reflection and thinks it's another 'mock' trying to mooch into his little part of the world. They also will dive bomb people and animals if they get too close to their nest when they have little one. The males will 'sing' all day and night until it finds a mate in the spring. We had one that learned how to say 'here kitty, kitty, kitty' because it heard us say it all the time... living up to it's name Mocking bird! I think if you have drapes or blinds that you could keep partially closed, it would realize that it's just a refection, or stop cleaning your windows (that's my excuse) Good luck with your Mock!
Mocking birds can be mean. :D Years ago I had a cat that loved to lay in the grass in my front yard and watch the world go by in the evening. When all the other birds had gone to roost, this one mockingbird would sit on the wire above and squawk non stop at the cat. If the cat tried to move it would dive bomb him.
Maybe it will go away soon.
We have several mockingbirds around here that terrorize the kitty cats, but none that peck on windows!
It is just doing its job as the name says :mocking:))
EVERY Spring we have a Cardinal that pecks at our windows! I always heard that it is becaue he sees himself and thinks it is another bird and is protecting his "turf"???? Good luck! XO, Pinky
Call Alfred Hitchcock! :)
Hope he finds a new home soon!
How annoying! I've heard that owl decoy can be effective in scaring birds away.
I laughed when I read and watched your video ! I have a male cardinal, that comes every spring, and pecks, pecks, pecks all day long on my windows. I hear he also pecks my next door neighbors windows too ! I always thought it was related to some mating ritual !!
They drove us crazy when we lived in the Bahamas. Pecked a big hole in the eve of the house. I would go outside when I heard them and try to scare them away, all to no avail. Good luck.
Sam
Ok I don't mean to laugh...but the visual is making me giggle but I can understand how this would make you crazy. I grew up in New England but now live in Manhattan Beach, CA and there is a specific bird (can't remember which) that use to coo all night long - I could never ever get sleep - I believe they said it was looking for a mate and they did put up owls in the neighborhood and they are do work. However, I don't know how to get rid of a pecking bird LOL! Let's hope it finds a mate soon or moves on! Good luck.
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