Singing Brown Thrashers in hatchery

[betsy]

I have it on good authority that what I thought were singing Mockingbirds in the hatchery Tuesday were more likely singing Brown Thrashers :o, since three were reported to be singing in there this morning. So, there's a fine opportunity in the hatchery these days to get your ears tuned for thrashers, if that would interest you. As preparation, there are five recordings at the bottom of this page to listen to:

http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/birds/mimics.html

Mockingbirds reputedly sing three to five repetitions of a song, while thrashers sing two, but that crowd in there sang one to three reps while I was listening. These mimids aren't quite so consistent as one might wish they'd be.

[Perry]

I would check out most singing Mockingbirds as well as any Mockingbird making that loud Chik call note. Every year about this time I walk by ignoring the song and call as a Mockingbird. After about the third or forth time it hits me that it is different. When I track down the call or singing, it's a Thrasher.

[betsy]

Thanks, Perry! It's comforting to learn that you make that error, too. Here I was congratulating myself on having recognized every song, call, tsee, trill, etc., that I had heard in the hatchery on Tuesday, and then I got this note saying that there were three Brown Thrashers singing away in there this morning and I realized I had been over-confident.

[lei]

In this case I found NM was very annoying too. Another one is Morning dove.

I would check out most singing Mockingbirds as well as any Mockingbird making that loud Chik call note. Every year about this time I walk by ignoring the song and call as a Mockingbird. After about the third or forth time it hits me that it is different. When I track down the call or singing, it's a Thrasher.

[betsy]

Lei -- Mockingbirds and Mourning Doves annoying in what way?

[betsy]

Well now I'm totally, head-over-heels in love! Spent some time in the hatchery listening to those thrashers both yesterday and today -- even saw a couple of them singing today, since the appearance of the sun got them from the mid-story to the tops of the trees -- and I think they're even better singers than mockers are! Wow! If I'd been a nubile young female thrasher I'd have married all of them! Monogamy be hanged!!!

I can confirm my earlier impression that while they repeat a sequence two times more often anything else, they also sometimes sing one only once and sometimes sing one three times. I really wish I'd had some recording equipment so I could have recorded their concerts. One of them sang a single iteration of the curious sequence sol, mi, do, mi, la. I don't know any bird that sings that as a song. What was it -- a cell phone ring tone? Somebody's doorbell sound? Ees a mystery!