Lightning didn’t just strike once that morning.
A couple of weeks ago I posted a series of photos of a male Northern Mockingbird on Antelope Island performing the distinctive courtship display of the species referred to as the “flight display”. I’d photographed snippets of the behavior in the past but I’d never been able to document a single display (performance) from beginning to end until that day, on May 18, when I was lucky enough to photograph it multiple times (maybe 6?).
Every performance is similar but different. For example, usually the bird sings continually, but sometimes he sings only intermittently and occasionally he doesn’t sing at all – as was the case with the performance I posted two weeks ago.
Today I decided to post photos of another one of his displays. This time he sang intermittently, mostly at the beginning and at the end of the display. Once again I’ll keep my narration to a minimum because the photos mostly speak for themselves.
The first 11 photos below are sequential without any skips.
He wasn’t close so one of the difficulties I had was capturing him at the very beginning of the display when he was still very close to his sagebrush perch. Because he was so far away, small in my viewfinder and partially hidden by sagebrush, it was hard for me to recognize his pre-takeoff posture and anticipate his vertical launch so he was usually a foot or so above the sagebrush before I got off my first shot.
He’s still singing and going straight up. The tiny black specks you see above the sagebrush are midges that were disturbed by all the excitement.
Reaching the apex of his climb.
Rolling over to begin…
parachuting back down to his sagebrush perch.
I figure this is about the time he was beginning to choose…
his landing spot.
Touchdown.
Immediately after landing at the end of the display, even before folding his wings, he began to sing again. Maybe he was celebrating his performance but if he was he didn’t rest on his laurels for long because only seconds later he…
began another display. I won’t bore you with more photos of this one.
After so many years of trying and failing to photograph this behavior from beginning to end, and then succeeding multiple times within six minutes, this bird photographer was pretty damn excited.
Believe me, buck fever isn’t exclusive to deer hunters.
Ron
Notes:
- In case you missed it in my first post about this behavior, here’s what Cornell’s Birds of the World has to say about the “flight display” of male Northern Mockingbirds:
“A “flight display” is given from a high singing perch. A singing male jumps upward, flaps his wings once or several times, ascends a meter or two above the perch, and then parachutes down, wings open, onto the same or a nearby perch. White wing patches are conspicuous during the display, and the bird sings continuously”.
- Baby it’s cold outside! According to my outdoor thermometer it got down to 36° F. right at sunrise a few minutes ago and there’s frost on my neighbor’s roof. That’s cutting it way too close for my garden tomatoes.
So splendid, Ron! Brightened my day! Remarkable photography and understanding! Thank you so much.
I’m late to add my kudos to all the others — I’ll just add that this makes me think, “on a wing and a prayer” (but with a little song added in for good luck). 😉
This must have been so much fun to watch and photograph — and listen— as he cycled through his displays! It is a thrill to watch it through your still shots! If only spacecraft could have this kind of landing precision and turnaround time.
Keeping fingers crossed that your ‘maters are none the worse for wear. And, even more so, for your upcoming back surgery!
Thanks, Marty. The ‘maters seem to be fine, even though they’re growth-retarded from our cold late spring and resulting late planting.
Wow! I think I’d be crowing and going around flapping my wings too if I had been able to pull off something like that, Ron. Really well done. I too am amazed at his stamina; it must take an incredible amount of energy to do that several times in succession. I would have enjoyed the laugh when he did his face plant although that would probably have cost me any chance of subsequent shots for several minutes. That was a really fun day for you, I’m sure.
Wonderful photo essay! Reminds me of the way male ducks and male geese stand up in the water as part of courting.
Thanks, Robert.
Simply Splendid!
Thank you, Gary.
An absolutely incredible display. The energy that must take – and that landing at least was spectacularly good. I am the wrong species but definitely impressed.
Our morning temperatures are about the same today. It is currently hovering around 37F – though I expect that to drop a little before the sun rises.
EC, I’m guessing those temps feel good to you after your presumably hot summer.
They do. And when I went out at first light there is snow on the hills. Happy dances from me – but I will probably be in the minority.
I wasn’t even there and I’m excited, too! What a sequence! Outstanding work keeping up with the subject.
What potential mate could resist this amazing song and dance?
A common bird photographed uncommonly well.
Much appreciated, Wally.
Such JOY!
Yup, he seems like he’s enjoying it.
About a week before you experienced this wonderful mockingbird display, we made our annual visit to a favorite place north of Arches. We see a variety of birds there that prefer the more open areas of habitat. We found several mockingbirds and watched them do similar displays. Mockingbirds are usually pretty solitary, so to see so many in the same area was quite a treat!
Sounds fun, Marian.
The first time scrolling through this series, I thought this would be better as a video. But then I lingered on each photo and realized that a video would not capture the beautiful balletic gracefulness on display in each image.
But I think you knew that.
Yeah, I kinda did Lyle. I like video at times but generally I prefer stills.
What an amazing series Ron. You are really getting the hang of that R5 and the results are remarkable. Great job. I’ve seen lots of male animal and bird mating performances, but these Mockingbirds are among the very best.
PS: like Chris’s very creative imagination “Pavoratti singing while bouncing around on a pogo stick.
Thanks, Everett. Yup, Chris outdid herself on that one.
👏👏👏
😊
Exuberance and elegance captured in photos.
Agreed.
I can’t imagine the female who could view that display and not respond
“warmly”…. And to think he could do it while SINGING ! I have a flash of
a vision of Luciano Pavarotti performing while operating a pogo stick ! You
and your new camera are a winning combo…….
“I have a flash of a vision of Luciano Pavarotti performing while operating a pogo stick”
Holy mackerel, did that ever bring up an image in my mind! Now that’s something I’d like to see. And hear.
A wonderful and magnificent series of photos, Ron. Thank you for the photography and the education! I still look forward to you work everyday!
Good to know, Den. Thanks very much.
Ron _ I’ve never seen this display before & I have plenty on Northern Mocking birds where I live!! Where is the female when all of this awesome flight is taking place?
Jo Ann, in the past a likely female has been nearby but this time I couldn’t see one, though I suspect there was one nearby that I couldn’t see. I could hear another singing mockingbird while I was photographing this one but that bird may have been another male.
WOW! Amazing series, Ron! 🙂 Tremendous amount of energy goes into that display for sure! Definitely “buggy” out too which doesn’t seem of interest to him at the moment…. 😉 “Buck Fever” indeed……. 😉
Judy, I was pretty excited in the field but my excitement was tempered because, knowing my track record with my old camera with this behavior, I figured that a a lot of my photos would be soft. I give at least some credit, maybe a lot, to my new camera for the fact that virtually all of my photos were sharp.
This a beautiful sequence of “flight display”. He stuck the landing – perfect 10!
S.A., I’d give him a 10 this time too but he didn’t always stick the landing. At least once he did a face plant in the sagebrush.