Mockingbird Revisited
It's pretty blustery out there today, as Florida braces for tropical storm Alberto. I was driving in, watching the clouds moving along in a northerly direction when I caught sight of my favorite bird doing something it does best.
A lone crow was sitting atop a telephone pole just about half a mile from my job. As it sat there, a mockingbird made repeated dives at it. Truly amazing. Consider the audacity; here's the little mockingbird attacking a bird many times its size. Crows aren't slouches, either; they can turn and get pretty vicious if provoked (I've seen adolescent crows mob a redtailed hawk before, inflicting serious injury). The mockingbird seems unfazed by this possibility and just continues the assault.
I've written about mockingbirds before, noting how their song seems to paint a picture of the area where they live (incidentally, I found out that my assumption was correct!). Today just reinforced my fascination. As usual, yes, I can tie this back to life in general.
Why should the mockingbird attack a larger animal?
There is an honesty in their actions. The mockingbird attacks the crow (and at other times other larger animals, including humans) for the sake of their community. Crows and other larger animals pose a potential threat to them. Lone mockingbirds work to drive away these threats, even in the face of real danger. Are they aware of this? God knows. But their sense of preservation seems to be skewed; they could be turned victim, yet continue these assaults. Like brave little Minutemen, they fight the good fight.
By the time I passed the mockingbird and crow, another three mockingbirds had joined in the fray and the threat was finally driven off. One lone mockingbird continued pursuing the crow until it flew into a patch of rain soaked pines.
Whether the mockingnirds are aware of it or not, they have something to tell us. If a smaller creature has such an innate sense of duty, what does it say about larger, more sentient creatures? The little mockingbird, fighting against considerable odds, is far braver and more honest than even the best of us, it seems. Perhaps we need to be more like them.
A lone crow was sitting atop a telephone pole just about half a mile from my job. As it sat there, a mockingbird made repeated dives at it. Truly amazing. Consider the audacity; here's the little mockingbird attacking a bird many times its size. Crows aren't slouches, either; they can turn and get pretty vicious if provoked (I've seen adolescent crows mob a redtailed hawk before, inflicting serious injury). The mockingbird seems unfazed by this possibility and just continues the assault.
I've written about mockingbirds before, noting how their song seems to paint a picture of the area where they live (incidentally, I found out that my assumption was correct!). Today just reinforced my fascination. As usual, yes, I can tie this back to life in general.
Why should the mockingbird attack a larger animal?
There is an honesty in their actions. The mockingbird attacks the crow (and at other times other larger animals, including humans) for the sake of their community. Crows and other larger animals pose a potential threat to them. Lone mockingbirds work to drive away these threats, even in the face of real danger. Are they aware of this? God knows. But their sense of preservation seems to be skewed; they could be turned victim, yet continue these assaults. Like brave little Minutemen, they fight the good fight.
By the time I passed the mockingbird and crow, another three mockingbirds had joined in the fray and the threat was finally driven off. One lone mockingbird continued pursuing the crow until it flew into a patch of rain soaked pines.
Whether the mockingnirds are aware of it or not, they have something to tell us. If a smaller creature has such an innate sense of duty, what does it say about larger, more sentient creatures? The little mockingbird, fighting against considerable odds, is far braver and more honest than even the best of us, it seems. Perhaps we need to be more like them.
posted by Robert at 12:48 PM
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