Gray Catbird

I was amused and pleased to see this bird at the café this afternoon. They don't spend the winter here with us, so s/he's back from wherever s/he was for the past months. A catbird was - it could be argued - my "spark" bird - although it didn't really get me started on any serious bird watching at the time. We lived in Bethesda, Maryland from the time I was 2 until I was 9 and our next door neighbors were grandparent aged people who we called "Aunt Edmé" (she was French) and "Uncle Steve." Uncle Steve had trained a catbird, or catbirds, to come and eat currants off his hand - and he let us do it too. I remember it vividly as absolutely wonderful to feel that bird land on my fingertips and grab a couple of currants! Anyhoo - they're not regular yardbirds for me. I have occasionally seen one briefly here - not every year by any means. But then today suddenly there was this one looking for some seed at the café! I took some shots, put some more seed out, and a few minutes later s/he was back! And then a while later... back again! What fun!

And yes, they do make a sound like a cat mewing. But also they are mimics, so they do a selection of other sounds as well. Another bird, just by the way, that sounds to me like a cat mewing is the yellow-bellied sapsucker - a woodpecker that winters here, and then heads north to breed in the spring.