My Territory is Yours

Isn't this little guy cute?  I took this picture of the mockingbird in our yard, our new frequent visitor to the back deck.  By frequent, I mean constant, as he is never far away.  If he's not sitting on our deck, eating at the feeders, or drinking from the birdbath, he is sitting at the top of the juniper tree in our yard, just a few feet away, keeping watch.

He's keeping watch quite literally, actually, because true to his mockingbird heritage, our little friend is extremely territorial. He has planted his "flag" on our deck, claiming it as his own.  He guards his area at all hours, never allowing any other birds to come near it.

Oh, they try, mind you.  It's been unseasonably cold and snowy here in the Nashville area, and these poor birds need to fatten-up to make it through the frigid nights.  I've seen wrens, sparrows, finches, titmice, and chickadees all approach the feeders, hoping to grab some nourishment.

They last all of a few seconds before our mean little soldier flies straight at them, angrily shrieking and squawking.  When the poor, startled things fly to a nearby tree, this, apparently is not far enough.  He again dive-bombs into said tree until the trespasser gets the message and flies far away and out of sight.  It's only then that he relaxes, puffy and content once more on his deck rail, victorious once again.  (We've appropriately named him "Butch," after The Little Rascals bully who also had social issues!!)

I've tried EVERYTHING, people!  I put up more feeders, with lots of space between each one, hoping some of them will fall outside the "zone" of Butch's territory.  No luck.  I've even filled some of the feeders with thistle and other seeds that are undesirable to mockingbirds, only to the smaller, finch-like breeds.  Butch doesn't care.  Even though he doesn't prefer the food, he doesn't want anyone else eating it EITHER.

Here's the thing about Butch:  there is more food out there on that deck than he will ever be able to consume.  With the snow falling, it's going to go bad and soggy before he could EVER finish all of it.  But something in Butch tells him, "This is MINE! I don't CARE if you are in need, get your OWN!  If you don't, I'll HURT you!"  Childish, don't you think?

Yet, as I've watched the events unfold from this past weekend's tragedy, I can't stop thinking about that intolerant little mockingbird.

I made a pact with myself when I started this blog that I would never discuss anything political, and I'm definitely not planning on starting now.  I am the LAST person I would go to for advice on any political subject.  But those who know me also know of my intense dislike of rudeness, my passionate contempt for hurtful words and violent behavior. I don't know if harsh, hateful words caused the tragic deaths in Arizona this past weekend, I doubt we'll ever find out.

The fact remains that there are still so many needlessly hurtful, bitter words being used, all in the name of "debate," and one-upping each other as we scream loudly back and forth on "news" programs. We're so much better than this.  All of us.

Like I've been trying to teach poor, territorial Butch: there is sooooo much space for EVERYONE.  We may differ in size, shape, and opinions, but can't we still co-exist, and respect the fact that we're all here, in this beautiful place, with plenty of room to hold us all? This is my prayer today, for all of us.  (Butch included!)

Thanks for Reading!