Ann: I'd never heard that story but it is kinda cool. Nightingales aren't found in the U.S, the true Nightingale is a European bird so I wonder if someone way back brought a Nightingale from Europe to Florida and caged it at Bok Tower with the Mockingbird? The Northern Mockingbird has been referred to as the Florida Nightingale because of it's continuous singing at times during the night. Many folks don't like Mockingbirds or Blue Jays and call them bully birds but I love them both. I have heard that Mockers will fiercely defend the territory for a good distance around their nest but we've had them nest in our yard for years and I've never seen them attack with much vengeance. We once had an indoor-outdoor cat and a resident mocker would dive bomb the cat when there were young in the nest but never to the point of making the kitty afraid. but that cat never tried to get to the nest either. We have a pair nesting in our yard here every year, sometimes two or more pair with nests in our yard and our next door neighbors yard. One nest in our yard is quite low and the adults seem oblivious to my presence; perhaps they sense that I'm not a threat. Sometimes they sit in the Magnolia tree watching and waiting for me to put raisins, berries etc. in the feeder that hangs in the Magnolia and as soon as I walk @ three feet away they fly down to the feeder to sample the goodies. I love all birds and their chirps/tweets/twitters but the Mockingbird is still one of my favorites! The Northern Mockingbird is also the state bird of Tennessee and Texas, and I think a couple of other states too but I don't remember which ones.
