I did some research on mockingbirds and learned some interesting facts about them. Mockingbirds will not only attack humans (as they had me), but researchers have found that they can "recognize individual humans and will selectively attack them while ignoring other humans who pass by" (FloridaGardener.com). In fact, mockingbirds have been known to attack predatory birds, even bald eagles, when their territory is invaded (Doughty, 1998). Some believe the mockingbird's bravery is the reason it has been chosen as the state bird for five states (Doughty, 1998).

During the late 1700s and early 1800s, mockingbirds were popular as pets because of their beautiful singing. By the 1900s the demand for mockingbirds nearly led to their extinction. People then began to release their birds. Mockingbirds have thrived as a result; in fact, mockingbirds can now be found in Hawaii and even Canada (Coe).

On March 25, I looked in the nest and saw that there were four hatched chicks. I knew there would be much activity near the nest. Seven small children live on the cul-de-sac, in addition to several cats and large dogs. The neighborhood also has quite a bit of ongoing residential construction. I wanted to find out if all the chicks would survive in such an environment. I didn't know if their feeding schedules would be disrupted by the presence of noisy children, or if the nestlings would perhaps fall prey to neighborhood cats. I decided to do some video surveillance to monitor the birds. I could collect more data this way and at the same time minimize my disturbance of the birds.