Perched high atop the vegetation, this Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) posed for me during a recent portrait session at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The mockingbird could not decide which side was its best side, so I took profile shots with the bird looking in both directions.
I think the bird liked the results and tweeted them on Twitter.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Fabulous shots, Mike!
Thanks, Tricia.
Beautiful! R.V. John, a fellow blogger, posted a picture of a mockingbird. Mike, I’ve never seen one this close. They really are beautiful!
Thanks. Indeed mockingbirds are beautiful and it is amazing to hear them sing and make different calls. On several occasions, for example, I was sure that I had heard a hawk calling out and it turned out to be a mockingbird. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says that a male mockingbird may learn around 200 songs throughout its life. Wow!
Wow!! That’s amazing! I know I can hear them singing. 🎶
I’ve heard only one snatch of song from a mockingbird so far this year; I’ll be glad when they finally make themselves heard.
They have been pretty silent for me this spring. Hopefully their singing will perk up a bit when the warmer spring weather arrives.
Looks like he’s looking for spring.
What fun and the portraits are gorgeous!
Thanks, Liz.
There’s something so engaging about a bird, or any animal, looking back over its shoulder.
I’ve seen one early arriving mockingbird so far. It’s hard to mistake the white wing bar. The only tweeters should be birds. 🙂