Episode 67: Morning Mockingbird on the Moonpie Deck

Recorded on March 24, 2025, at the dogtrot on the Moonpie Deck, this is the sound of a spring morning after a night of thunderstorms. As the landscape dries in the first light of day, year-round residents—including the Northern Cardinal, Chipping and White-throated Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Goldfinch and an array of woodpeckers (Red-bellied, Pileated, and Red-headed)—join the chorus. Their calls mingle with those of the Brown-headed Cowbird, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Belted Kingfisher, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Eastern Towhee, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Crow, Mourning Dove, Pine Warbler, Cedar Waxwing and White-breasted Nuthatch. Adding to the morning’s lively soundscape are the returning calls of Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireos, marking their seasonal arrival in the hill country. Stealing the spotlight, a Northern Mockingbird, perched in a cedar tree in the pasture, delivers an intricate, ever-changing song to welcome the day.