To See A Mockingbird (And Cousins)

During recent decades, the Mockingbird has gradually expanded its range northward.  I have rarely seen one though and so the other morning when I approached my neighbourhood birding site, I was astonished to see one in full view.  It perched on a tree stump and then flew to a mowed field where it ran back and forth like a roadrunner.  Then it flew into a berry bearing bush and I managed a shot.

The next day I heard singing in a tree adjacent to that field and it was clearly a mimicking song.  I was sure the Mockingbird was the source so it was to my surprise that I found out it was a Brown Thrasher that was singing!  This is a "cousin" to the Mockingbird and although I have seen a few, I have never heard one sing.

That same day, as I progressed down my usual path towards a small grove of trees, I heard another mimicking song.  Ok, so was this the Mockingbird or the Thrasher?  Neither!  It was another "cousin" - the Catbird. They all belong to the family "Mimidae".

Here are the three cousins:

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

Below is a 40 second video of this Thrasher singing:

Gray Catbird

Below is a 40 second video of the Catbird singing (he is well hidden in the bushes but you'll see a glimpse of movement towards the end):