I had kind of an interesting experience, the other day. I got home from work around 6:00 in the evening, and when I got out of my car, I walked past the Sapodilla tree we planted in the front yard a few years ago, and as I approached the front porch, a Mockingbird (okay, fine – a Northern Mockingbird for you sticklers) flew up to the corner and stood there for a few minutes, watching me.
If you look closely, you’ll see something in its beak. Go ahead and click on it if you like. The shot’s not the best, but you get the idea.
Still watching me, the Mockingbird flew to the little Neelum mango sapling we recently planted.
It then flew into the Sapodilla, followed by excited cheeping. Are you kidding me? We’ve been walking back and forth past this tree multiple times everyday. MJ even mowed the lawn right up to the trunk, just the day before!
But the adults never bothered us. We’ve seen a couple of adults harrassing the occasional hapless neighborhood cat who was just passing through. But they never bothered us. Weird, huh?
In case you’re wondering, the Sapodilla is another tropical fruit tree native to Central America, and for obvious reasons, does really well in South Florida. It’s very slow-growing and is quite storm-resistant due to the sticky, latex-like sap called “chicle.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because chicle from this and other plant sources, was used many years ago to produce chewing gum. Remember “Chiclets”?
The fruit is covered with a very thin, slightly fuzzy skin, almost exactly like a kiwi. Also like a kiwi, you can eat the skin or not, as you choose. Inside, the flesh is a tan to almost brown color, sweet, and juicy with a texture that is almost pear-like, but softer, and one or two hard, oblong black seeds. We like to just cut the fruit in half, lengthwise, remove the seeds, and just scoop the flesh out with a spoon. Mmmm…
Maybe I should have saved this for the future PhotoHunt theme of “Surprise”, because we couldn’t have been more surprised than to find an active Mockingbird nest in such a “public” location! 🙂
I see something in its beak, but I'm not sure what.Chiclets! Probably healthier than the stuff they put into gum these days.Your fruit does look good.
I enjoyed this post so much. The mockingbirds that live in my garden get very excited sometimes and other times leave me alone. Hard to know why.
Maybe the parents thought that a public place is the Best way for hiding ;)I never heard of that tree and neither did I know that you can eat the skin of a Kiwi.Thanks :D!
The mockingbirds that live in the tree outside my bedroom window wake me up each morning. Which is fine during the school year, but in the summer . . .!–Jenn
I am green with envy..I have never seen a mocker, let alone find a nest anywhere in our yard. How do you rate since you complained about the singing…See…you earned that nest RJ…Thanks for posting to Nature Notes, one of the smallest memes ever..LOL…Michelle
Wow, you lucky thing! Fingers crossed you'll be seeing the little'uns fledging soon. I think sometimes birds can work out exactly what is a threat and what isn't. For instance I had a very old, blind cat who loved to sunbathe in the garden. The birds soon learned that she never bothered them and would forage really close to her, knowing her to be safe. Other cats would be avoided or harassed as you'd expect. They never mistook other cats for her, ever. I think your mockingbirds have you all figured out 😀
Wow! I've never seen this tree before,and it's where Chiclets come from! I really enjoyed your photos and the fun story.Sorry to be so late getting around this time.