Mimicry

Kinda blurry photo of a Brown Thrasher - but you get the idea

A Gray Catbird has been hanging around my feeding station for the last few days. It likes to hide in a holly bush nearby and pop out once in a while. Catbirds are heard more than seen, I've found.

               The catbird, Northern Mockingbird and Brown Thrasher form the trifecta of mimics that frequent yards around here. They're mimics because one or two of the sounds they make may sound like other birds.
               The mockingbird is the most vocal, visible and wide-ranging of the bunch. Folks from the Northeast to the Southwest see and hear Northern Mockingbirds. You know ‘em - the gray birds with white wing bars. They go from perch to perch in your yard, staking out territory. Yeah, those ones. They can be downright rude when it comes to territory. Sometimes they get bold and actually swoop down and attack things that approach their nests. I've seen them go after cats. People can be targets, too. Experts say they’re just being protective. I think they’re ticked off from missing the casting call for the Hitchcock film. (I mean, what’s the big deal with crows and gulls, anyway?)
               Northern Mockingbirds sing a lot. And I do mean a lot. During nesting season, they sing deep into the night.
            Bird songs can't be described well in print. But I'll give it a try here, and then send you to a place where you can actually hear a song. Northern Mockingbirds repeat phrases usually three or more times; something like "tu-tu-tu; we-we-we-we; churew-churew-churew," and so forth.
               Brown Thrashers (photo above) only repeat phrases a couple of times, then move on to the next. The catbird, which looks a like a smaller, darker version of the mockingbird, doesn't repeat phrases. But at the end of its repertoire, the catbird often punctuates with a "meeeww" sound; hence the name.

               Check out the Gray Catbird song here:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gray_Catbird/sounds

              

       A squirrelly day

                  Squirrels ruled the roost today. Don't worry; I'm not planning to trap ... yet. But here are the birds that made it to the feeding area:

               AM, cloudy, 50 degrees, 20 minutes

               Northern Cardinal
               Northern Mockingbird
               Blue Jay
               Common Grackle
               Northern Flicker
               Mourning Dove
               Red-winged Blackbird
               Brown Thrasher
               Brown-headed Cowbird
               Chipping Sparrow
               White-throated Sparrow