My breakfast buddies and I were partaking in our morning ritual at a local restaurant when I mentioned mockingbirds have fallen silent because its dog days. This was around the first week of July and a judge argued that the timing is wrong. He was right; it was early but I’m sticking to my observation.
The song(s) of the mockingbird cannot be mistaken. They mimic every bird they hear and males been known to advertise their bachelor status all hours of the night - usually in the bush beside your bedroom window. That’s when you wish you could put an end to the feisty creature that also enjoys pecking your head when you come too close. But for some reason, Mockingbirds transform their song into silence during a period in the summer and it seems to coincide with Dog Days, a Greek belief regarding the stars.
Are they really in tune with the ancient Greeks who came up with the idea? Dog Days has nothing to do with dogs, well real ones anyway. Learning that this wasn’t the case was sort of a bummer because I was expecting an intriguing tale about a Pharaoh Hound soaking up the sun at the feet of his master. Nope, it’s about astrology.
Dog Days occur during the time Sirius is rising with the sun, which is part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. Sirius is actually positioned where the dog’s nose would be. This event begins in late July and ends sometime in mid August.
This is the first time I really paid attention to the master imitator’s departed repertoire. It’s true, they don’t mimic other birds for weeks but to my surprise, they do make noise, albeit a very subtle noise.
On July 20, I happen to be standing outside the office when I heard a tiny peep. I thought it was a baby bird in the tree so I began to search the branches. Another peep, this time more like a faint “twerp,” and I was able to pinpoint the sound. Lo and behold, a mockingbird was perched on the telephone wire above me. This was so fascinating that I recorded it. I had to provide prove to my breakfast mates who want only the facts please.
However, none of my research explained why they don’t sing. We may never know the answer but one day this summer oddity won’t even occur. The reason being, the stars shift according to the wobble of the Earth so around a thousand years from now scientists say dog days won’t happen during the summer. Things will be so mixed up, I wonder if owls won’t hoot during Halloween?
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