It took me back to my childhood when We did 'To Kill a Mockingbird' as one of our 'O' level texts (for those newbies out there that was what we used to cal GCSE's!), and her comments echoed some of the sentiments in the text:
When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn't teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem, "I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever hear Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "You're father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mocking bird."
There were a few around Bahama Bay, including a nesting pair I watched noisily drive a squirrel from their nest one day. Although the colours are shades of grey, I think they're quite photogenic in their own way. [Would have helped if I'd tidied up a couple - sensor dust, eh.]
On first glance I thought this was something different, with that highly curved bill, but it turned out to be across beaked mockingbird. It was one of a pair, so at least it's other partner thought it was good-looking. It kept adopting this fanned wing pose - don't know if there was a nest there and this was a display to me, or some other reason, but I left it in peace, rather than go digging around.
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