Have you ever seen or heard a catbird? We have a pair of them making their home in Tiger Gardens. My silverberry hedge out front and the other border hedges and shrubs seem to attract all sorts of birds; which is really cool! Birds I am not familiar with such as the above catbird.
Each time I go out front to relax this bird comes around talking to me. It is not really a fussy talk but a talk nonetheless. I haven't gone searching for its next but suspect it has a nest nearby. There is also a pair of brown thrashers living in the garden but I have not been able to capture them in a picture.
I had no idea what kind of bird this was until I Googled 'large gray bird with black cap' and came up with catbird. This bird looks very similar to a Northern mockingbird; which are quite common in our part of the United States. The only real difference is that the catbird is a solid gray and has no white on it. According to the Cornell website on birds the catbird does have the ability to mimic other birds and has a good repertoire of songs. Its distinctive call to me is one that sounds like a cat though. Listen here for this call which is but one of many (listen to the mew call). Once you hear this mew call there will be no mistaking why this bird is called a catbird. An interesting note, the mew call is not the call I hear when the bird wants me to move out of its garden though. There is no recording of that chatter....
in the catbird's garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden
That's the first time I've ever seen one, but I bet you if I hear it in the garden NOW I will recognize what it is!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard one before either!!
ReplyDeleteWell, how cool is that? I've never seen one in my garden. I do walk about with the crows though. Hope your summer is bountiful.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteYep, we have those beautiful birds. I usually hear them way before spotting them. One time I thought it was a kitten in distress. LOL... We have a Mockingbird that is hanging around and driving me nuts with his tunes. That bird seems to like me and follows me all over the garden and signs right above my head. It is loud and a bit annoying at times. Yesterday I whistle a tune or two back at him and he cocked his head sideways at me then seem to be trying to mock me. Was funny. A hummingbird tried to get a sip of nectar from my pink shirt also. I was like, “well hello there buddy”. Was funny. We have baby brown thrashers and towhees pecking in the pine needle and leaves. They are too cute… We also have a rusty blackbird that is hanging around. We rarely see them and now one seems to not be going on with his migration and may hang with us. Lots of bird activity going on around here. Oh and the Brown Thrasher is the GA state bird…..
ReplyDeleteVery nice Tina. I've never had a catbird in my garden. I'd love to hear one. That would be interesting. I'm sure the birds find your beautiful garden a great place to nest. Lucky them. Great photos too.
ReplyDeleteWe have them in our area. I like their soft gray coloring and their calls are most interesting.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful capture Tina. I have seen them in my garden too, but they come in from the thickets at the Falls and do not stay long enough for a photo. Not much here for them. I think they may have dined on the Viburnum berries since I did see one over there. They do have quite a distinctive call.
ReplyDeleteThe brown thrasher, the mockingbird, and the catbird are all mimics. You can tell which one is calling by the song, even if you don't see the singer. The mockingbird sings each song it mimics Many times (Many = mockingbird), the brown thrasher repeats each song twice, and the catbird only sings each song once, with occasional interruptions of the cat-like call from which it got its name. Of the three, I think the catbird is either the least common or the most secretive. Congrats on having a pair nesting in your yard!
ReplyDeleteI went over to hear the mew call, and what do you know, within no time at all both my cats had left their bowls of tuna, and were checking out both me and the computer suspiciously. It takes a lot to get them to leave their tuna...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flowersforums.com/ruth/blog/
I've never seen a cat bird either. However I'm sure your beautiful garden is a favourite hangout for them and the rest of the birds. Happy July 4th.
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty little birds. Don't have those here. I'm sure your garden provides them with a lot of cover and food.
ReplyDeleteNice post Tina. I don't know if we have any here or not. I don't recall hearing one. Now I will be sure. The Mocking Bird is very popular here. we also have the brown thrash. They have both built nests in the hedge on the west side of my home. It needs trimming but have put it off waiting till they get through. As you know they will have more than 1 hatching.
ReplyDeleteYou should have seen my new fur baby when I played the meowing sound. It sure got her attention. She's sleeping in the chair. So cute.
Tina you just cleared up a mystery for me...we have this pretty bird that seems pretty skittish but I had never heard it or so I thought....I have heard the mew and now I know what bid it is...great post
ReplyDeleteWe have them here in the summer and I love them but I never can get a picture of them. You not only got 2 but they are both great as if he was posing for you!!
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of catbirds here. They, and the robins, are the most frequent birdbath visitors. I love their elegant gray color.
ReplyDeleteGlad you gave us that link so we could hear the mew song!
ReplyDeleteWOW! This is the first time I've ever seen one! How wonderful it is you have these birds in your garden! I clicked on the link and listened to their lovely chirping. Mew call?! Indeed it was!! Your photos are amazing! Really nice shots! Wasn't it difficult to take the photos of them? I've tried to take the photos of birds many times but it was very difficult for me and I've given up photographing them.
ReplyDeleteJust yesterday I led a group of families around one of our big parks in my neck of the woods in London. I drove them there as part of a project to get some of our hard-to-reach families to enjoy the parks and open spaces we have in our borough. Your photos reminded me of the joy with which the little ones greeted the sight of birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Many thanks for that beautiful post and those marvellous images.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
We've always had Mockingbirds here that have been quite friendly --following me around the garden and property with no fussing. Richard saved their nest and babies from a black snake last year.
ReplyDeleteLIke you, we have Catbirds this year! They're also rather inquisitive and social, but they seem to be rather territorial with the long-time Mockingbird residents. A coup!
Stay cool in the heat!
Freda
Oh they are so cute birds, i can't imagine they can mimic a cat! We don't have them here, because i haven't heard that meow call.
ReplyDelete