May
3, 2009 - Today we saw the return of the catbird.
Last year we often saw
them eating from the suet feeders (and they loved
the grandgirls' peanut butter and jelly crusts).
We planted a lot more berry bushes with these particular
birds in mind. We added 7 more red twig dogwood, which
seems to be one of their favorites. But today the bird
was eating a leftover portion of a seed block.
My son's backyard, about 12 miles from mine, is the home of a gray
catbird pair. In early June, while staying with my
grandgirl, we noticed a brand new (yet to be identified) bird
happily hopping from hose real cover to sandbox and back to porch roof.
My small digital camera sadly was not up to the task of taking a
close-up, especially through the screened back window. After
trying to capture the shot anyway, we ran to my small reference bird
book divided by color (I take this everywhere) and could then put the
gray catbird name to this handsome fellow.
When we opened the back door quietly (difficult considering one of us
was a four year old) in the hopes of getting closer, we now saw two
catbirds sitting in a white lilac bush. We were also fortunate
enough to hear the "mew" call that gave these pretty gray birds their
name.
When I excitedly called Food Guy with the news, he suggested I give
them a business card so they could find our bird-friendly yard.
Wouldn't you know- I didn't have any with me. But I did plan on
bringing the big boy camera with me the next day.
Well- I guess the bread crumbs I considered dropping out of my car
window on my way home wouldn't have been necessary after all. Two days
later we saw our own pair of catbirds hopping around our backyard.
While they lingered on one of the peanut suet feeders, we had the
perfect photo op. We still catch glimpses of them now and then,
but often hear their cat-like chatter from the trees. When we do
see one, the little model poses and tosses head and tail like a true
professional. All our birds should be so accommodating.
Meanwhile back in the other yard, Ellery (not yet a fan of bread crusts)
would leave them in a spot under a large evergreen. We ended many
a backyard lunch watching a catbird (who was a fan of crusts, especially
ones covered with pb&j) swoop in and grab the yummy treat
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Size:
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Length: 8.5-9 in
Weight: 1.3 oz Wingspan:
11 in
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ID:
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Male: Slate gray overall; black cap; dark, long tail; dark
bill; feet anisodactylous (three toes point forward and one toe
points backward) and dark; reddish chestnut patch under the tail
Female and Juvenile: Same as
male
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Habitat:
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Forest edges; hedges and thickets
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Diet:
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Mostly insects (crickets, grasshoppers and beetles); fruit;
feeder food: bread, cheese, raisins, peanuts and suet cakes
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Monogamous and solitary; male sings, holds
down tail and throws back head as he claims territory and
attracts a female; 2 broods per year
Local Breeding Period: Early May
Nests: Cup shaped and made of twigs, stems, leaves and grass,
lined with fine materials; built by both male and female but
female does most of the building; usually placed in shrub or
tree; may use the same nest again
Eggs: 4-6 plain greenish blue and glossy; female incubates 12-13
days; female closely guards nest and will eject cowbird eggs
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes closed) and
stay in nest 10-11 days; fed by both parents but mostly male
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Social Activities:
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Solitary or in pairs; relatively tame
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Range:
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Breeding: Most of US except west coast and the Southwest
Winter: Migrate to southern coastal US; travels at night
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Vocalization:
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Song is a mixture of mimic sounds of other birds, animals and
even machinery; call is a quiet mew and very cat-like; does not
repeat phrases
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Lifespan: |
Up to 11 years |
