copywrite©Marjie Gemmell

THE CAT’S (bird) MEOW!

Has anyone else noticed catbirds can be difficult to observe in spring and summer? I walk along a river trail five days a week, and hear catbird songs and calls quite often, but only get a quick peek at them as they seem to stay behind the first layer of vegetation. Oh, occasionally I see one perched up…but not often. That makes a case for knowing your bird songs and calls! Sometimes bird identification takes “bird listening” rather than “bird watching”!

The experienced birder depends more on his ears than on his eyes. I am a big fan of birding by ear. In years of leading bird walks and teaching bird identification, I have become a believer in the method called “PARAPHRASING”. I think it’s the easiest way to learn ‘who’s hiding in the bushes’! One of the free bonus articles I offer with the purchase of my e-book, “A Blueprint for Bird Identification” (available on my web site), is entitled “Significance of Bird Songs and Calls”. It has good information on paraphrasing --- the act of interpreting a bird song with your own words.

Oh, and back to the Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), and my observations of his shy behavior in spring and summer. Early fall brings quite a change in that habit…at least on my river trail. Now, I see catbirds every few hundred feet, not only perched in full view, but nonchalantly feeding in plain sight on the trail, not even bothering to dive into cover! I am fearful of stepping on them! Is it the fact that nesting and parenting responsibilities are over and they are “free” to feed and cavort in the open? I really don’t have the answer…but I sure enjoy the Gray Catbird in autumn!
Cheeps & Chirps!
Marjie Gemmell

To learn more about bird identification go to:
www.easybirdidentification.com

Posted by Marjie Gemmell