I don't have mockingbirds here but you Florida guys have shrikes, jays and mockers all over your yard. Try this with the kids:
collect some half inch dowels or conduit pipe and paint them in mono, bi, and tri colored patterns and see how the birds react when the models are placed near the nest or favorite feeder.

I have a published study somewhere in the house that was done years ago with painted dowels and the results boiled down to more bands, more fear. Birds ignored the mono color, 50% were stressed at the bi color model and 100% were alarmed/agressive to the tri-color model.

If we had hawks to work with, it would be ideal. Anybody keeping a hawk or two or have a nest in the back yard?
Jeff
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