Northern Mockingbird

Princess Point, Hamilton. ON. February 4, 2024.  A bright crisp Sunday morning gets the winter weary out and I was no exception. I decided to walk a stretch of harbour-side trail as much for the exercise as the chance of an interesting bird. It was barely a degree above freezing and where there was shade there was the risk of an icy slip and fall. I stayed upright the whole time.

It’s an interesting stretch of urban waterfront known to produce surprise birds now and then. I always hold out hope of a remarkable discovery, but not today although several Hooded Mergansers and a couple of male Gadwalls held my sustained attention.

The male Hooded Mergansers (above with a female) have an almost soldierly look as if dressed for a parade,  in contrast to the more funereal plumage of the Gadwall.  Here’s a photo showing the Gadwall’s coal-black butt, pale gold highlights across the back and fine wiggly lines detailing his breast and flanks.

Other than those two nice ducks, it would not have been a particularly noteworthy bird walk had it not been for the fleeting appearance of this Northern Mockingbird.  It buried itself deep in a thicket and disappeared into the denseness, I was afraid that my first glimpse was all I was going to get, but then it popped up, paused, and posed for a while, long enough to allow me a couple of photos. This is one.

Southern Ontario is at the northern limit of the Mockingbirds’ extensive range throughout the lower 48 United States. For us it is uncommon except in a few spots where they seem to have a toe-hold; this urban waterfront trail is one of those places. Members of this small outlier colony are not totally unexpected and are more often heard than seen; today I got the visual.  It was My Bird of the Day icing on the cake this morning.