The Great Pretender

Northern Mockingbird -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm Zoom Lens, 1/1600s, f/5.6, ISO: 160

There are a couple of places near Arrowhead Marsh where mockingbirds can be seen at any time of the year, it seems.  There is a particular bush near the entrance and a certain section of fence along the road that the birds frequent.  It's rare that a bird isn't at one of those two spots on any given morning, or so that's been my experience.

Mockingbirds are truly fascinating in spite of their drab gray appearance.  As I've become more familiar with bird song, I can now sometimes tell if it's a mockingbird I'm hearing or something else.  Even if I don't recognize the particular calls, mockingbirds are all over the place.  They seem to sing the songs they've heard that they like with no discernible reason as to why other than perhaps they think the songs are pretty.  I can appreciate a bird like that.

Photo selection inspired by GeoGypsy's Photo Fun Friday page, photo #1555.