(Editor's Note: The writer is a Woodbury resident and an associate professor of sociology at Adelphi University)

I used to think that my lawn was mine. This summer I was convinced it was part of the territory of some mockingbirds. On a gray Saturday morning with the humidity feeling like it was a thousand percent I sat at the kitchen table looking through the newspapers. Then I heard the ratchety buzz saw cry from across the street. There on our neighbor's lawn hovering above a cowering squirrel was a mockingbird. The bird's bill was open as it menaced the squirrel. The mockingbird then landed on the lawn for a stare down with the hunched up rodent. The staring contest ended quickly with the squirrel running across the street to our mushroom dotted lawn with the mockingbird, the white of its wings flashing like a propeller, in pursuit. It looked as if the mocker even poked the squirrel for good measure. The mockingbird then flew into the branches of a very leafy tree in front of our house, while the squirrel disappeared behind the base of the tree.

Mockingbirds, aside from being known to imitate the sounds of other birds, are aggressive in defending their territory against a variety of intruders. If memory serves correctly, I've seen two of them harass a crow on a tree or a rooftop playing "hopscotch" with the crow until it left, and seen them pursue crows. I'd never before seen them harass a squirrel.

Barefoot, I step out onto our wet patio with a pair of binoculars for a better look. The gray of the bird juxtaposed against the lush green of the tree in the still morning creates a scene which looks like a soothing painting. The mockingbird soon flies, going to a Stop sign across the street. I wonder if the edge of the metal doesn't hurt its small feet. The bird looks around, raises its tail, twitches it and flies to a small flowering cherry tree, looks around and disappears down a row of condo units.

In the preceding several days I'd noticed a mockingbird perch on a sign in front of our condo and on a smooth piece of stone on top of our fence. During a rain-soaked, chilly June there was a mockingbird that used to perch in a pine tree on the side of our house. More than a few times it let out calls that sounded like it was in the throes of the mating urge, desperate for a mate.

Now I hear a very faint buzzing sound from the tree in front of our house. Could this be a young bird waiting to be fed? I look up listening, trying to locate the sound. Soon two mockingbirds come over the roof, go into the tree and the noise becomes louder. One quickly flies away again. Is there a nest here with young birds in it? Was June's bachelor now an August dad?

I make some room on my desk, which is more cluttered than it usually is, and begin to go through some bird books. One of the first books to which I turn shows a drawing of a mockingbird flying slightly above a running cat. Humm, I guess they do go after squirrels. The squirrel is about 18 to 20 inches long from its head to the tip of its tail and weighs from 3/4 to 1 3/5 lb. The mockingbird is about 11 inches long and weighs approximately 2 oz.

I learn that mockingbirds flash their wings to flush out insects. They are also found singly or in pairs. Perhaps the two that flew into the tree were bringing insects to a young bird or birds in a nest. I want to know where they nest and in a rain-damaged book find the answer. It's a picture of an adult feeding some chicks in a wide nest in a small pine tree. There's one on the side of our house but ours isn't small. Perhaps there's a nest nearby in a smaller tree.

The next morning two mockingbirds are on the rods of a TV antenna several doors down. One flies off against a partially cloudy sky. I'd forgotten how sleek they are. Turning my binoculars back to the remaining bird I see that the rod on which it was perching is empty and slightly oscillating.

That evening again sitting at the kitchen table I notice a squirrel on our lawn. The squirrel moves to the fence top. A mockingbird flies over and lands close to the squirrel. Within seconds the squirrel has escaped to the branches of the pine tree next to the fence and the bird flies to a tree branch on the front lawn. While I didn't see any obvious aggression, I believe that the bird's intent was to chase the squirrel, which it succeeded in doing. I realize that my front lawn may be the territory of some mockingbirds. It's a jungle out there.

Since coming back from vacation I've not seen any mockingbirds. They may have moved, as fledglings can leave the nest within two weeks, and my lawn may be mine again. I did however see a rabbit on both our lawn and patio and I began to wonder if a mockingbird would chase a rabbit.