Northern Mockingbird: Helen and Alan Cruickshank Reserve, Rockledge, Florida, USA, January 2024 — I had a workshop to present just after noon at the convention center in Cocoa Beach on my second full day in Florida for the rejuvenated Space Coast Birding and Nature Festival, so I needed somewhere relatively close by to bird and photograph in the morning. The Helen and Alan Cruickshank Sanctuary, with its ready population of Florida Scrub Jays, was the obvious choice since it is right across the causeway from Cocoa. I got there early early as the clock was ticking and I still had to find my presentation room and get my AV set up when I got back to the convention center. My first birds were not Florida Scrub Jays…they were Mockingbirds, making fun of my early efforts. There were lots of Mockingbirds at the Sanctuary, and I saw lots before I found my first Scrub Jay. OM System OM-1 with 100-400IS zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.