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Monday, December 05, 2011

Gray Catbird, where are you now?




Gray Catbird where are you now? You breed on our property here in NH, flit conspicuously about our yard, and eat the oranges we put out for you. Will I see you in Sanibel, FL this winter? These are the questions I wonder about the birds which I see here in spring and summer in NH, but they are gone in winter.

Gray Catbirds are common breeders across much of the eastern two-thirds of the country. They winter in coastal areas of the states from about the mid-Atlantic through TX and also winter in the Caribbean and Central America. Catbirds are relatives of mockingbirds and thrashers and, like them, have the ability to mimic the sounds of other species, incorporating these sounds into their own song. Catbirds love thickets and eat insects and fruit and berries.

When we go to Sanibel, FL in winter, there are many catbirds wintering. Mainly they lay low in vegetation during the day. But just at dusk, you can hear them calling before they go to sleep for the night. Suddenly you are aware there are a lot more catbirds in the area than you knew. I look forward to that.

By the way, are any of you seeing Gray Catbirds now?

8 comments:

Woodduck said...

Mine left a month or so ago in Nags Head, NC.(Outer Banks) I enjoyed their antics all summer!

Two Old Birds said...

I saw one many months ago in Boca Raton,Fl at Daggerwing nature center, but none since I'm in Ft Laud. Fl. Thanks for the beautiful pics.

Lauren

Bob Zeller said...

I saw my first and only one in May of this year, here in San Angelo, Texas. Fortunately, I was able to get a decent photo, too. It is pretty rare around here.

I have purchased your new Guide and I and my wife love it.

bob zeller said...

We saw and photographed the first and only one we ever saw here in San Angelo, Texas, in May of this year.

BTW, we love your new guide.

Chatterbirds said...

Such fantastic images of Gray Catbirds. I did not know that they would come to feeders!

Yvonne said...

Love seeing/hearing Catbirds in neighborhood. Don't see at feeders, but do see at birdbath!!

Aaron and Janet Kirk said...

We saw our first Gray Catbird of the year yesterday at Six-Mile Cypress Slough in Ft. Myers, FL. He was taking a bath under some ferns in a thicket and having a grand time!

Marilyn Kircus said...

One catbird was already in my friend Hulin's yard, in Hammond, Louisiana in early October. I heard him a lot while refinishing a deck and got to see him once as he flitted from one thicket to another.

I'm looking forward to seeing him back up north this summer if I get to volunteer at Ottawa NWR.