I got more than gasoline that morning

Click for greater clarity.

Another advantage in having a Costco close to home is that I can get gas at a good price. On the morning of November 14th I stopped there to do that, and as I was standing outside my car waiting for the tank to fill up I noticed a bird in one of the fruit-laden yaupon trees, Ilex vomitoria, planted nearby along the edge of the property. I happened to have my camera bag with me, so as soon as the tank was full I drove out of the gas station area, parked in a regular parking space, put on my longest lens, and walked back to get close to where the bird had obligingly stayed put. My (uninformed) impression is that this is a mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, but its lower bill seems unusually short and curved. If any bird bard in the audience can straighten this out—the situation, not the beak—please do so.

© 2014 Steven Schwartzman