Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!xylogics!world!rmura From: rmura@world.std.com (Ron Mura) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Northern Mockingbird (I think) Message-ID: Date: 29 May 90 18:52:50 GMT References: <976@soleil.UUCP> Sender: rmura@world.std.com (Ron Mura) Organization: The World Lines: 22 In-Reply-To: mcaloon@soleil.UUCP's message of 29 May 90 16:28:25 GMT In article <976@soleil.UUCP> mcaloon@soleil.UUCP (Barbara McAloon) writes: > Feeling nature's call around 2:00 - 3:00 a.m., I head to the bathroom. About > this time, I can hear what I am guessing is a Northern Mockingbird. What I > am hearing is a variety of bird calls in random order; hence, my humble > guess. I cannot see this bird at all, only hear its sounds. My neighbors tell > me that what I am hearing is bats. It could well be a mockingbird; they are one bird that sometimes does sing at night. Mockingbirds usually repeat a phrase several times. For example, they might do phrase A 4 times, then phrase B 5 times, then phrase C 3 times, etc. If it's singing at night it's probably around in the daytime too, so you could try looking for it. I doubt bat sounds would be confused with bird songs. Bats make very high-pitched squeaks (some people can hear them; I can't), whereas the mockingbird sings loudly in a much more audible range. -- - Ron Mura, Boston, Mass. rmura@world.std.com