Since my last post I've discovered where the (now three) Catbirds live/hang-out in the woods behind my house. First things first..... Bonnie was right, they should be called 'Annoying baby sounding-birds'.
I often wander for hours and get lost in the natural beauty of a New England forest..... I am lucky enough to live in the middle of one. The section of woods behind my house is probably about a square mile, although not a square shape. It is made up primarily of mixed deciduous trees, with some evergreens thrown into the mix.....usually in bunches. And those bunches are usually Eastern Red Pine.
Yesterday, like many times before, I was slowly cruising though the woods and getting lost in all the warblers, thrushes, woodpeckers (I finally saw the male Hairy I've been looking for), Chipping, Savannah and White-Throated Sparrows, wild turkeys, the resident Red-tail Hawk family, the resident Vulture family, the resident Kestrel family...and a few random others such as thrashers. Every direction I look I see something....if not birds, it could be a Black Rat, Garter or Norther Ring-necked snakes....Dusky, Red-backed or Spotted Salamanders...maybe a newt or two.....peeper frogs and Woodhouse toads....White-tailed deer, chipmonks galore, squirrels feeding their babies (which proves they have food other than my feeders)...and the less popular red fox, coyote and woodchuck...
....after walking for about an hour, I started hearing the pretty warbler-like call, soon followed by the cry. I had stumbled upon the Catbirds area. It happened to be in one of the coolest parts of my woods.... there is a small valley/rift that starts half-way in the woods and runs to the end. On the borders of the valley are tall deciduous trees, flowering dogwoods, and my favorite...Pink Azaleas. Inside the valley there is a lot of bramble and other thron bushes, and a lot of small bushes that all come together to make a fairly dense thicket. Running through the center, and I assume what created the valley over several decades, is a small (crystal clear) brook that is 4 feet at it's widest. On the 'shore' of the brook are lots of skunk cabbage and ferns, gorgeous beds of common violets (one has to be 20 feet square), a few wild geraniums thrown in, and a bunch of other wildflowers. Criss-crossing the whole area are downed trees and limbs that give shelter to many insects, amphibians, reptiles (about 5 years ago I spotted the lone CT lizard in this spot....the Five-Lined Skink), and chipmunks. When the larger trees fall their roots often stay somewhat connected to the ground while the tree is horizontal....over time the roots become covered over and the hole left fills with water....this is where I often find Spotted, Box and Wodd turtles.
The location and elevation of the woods prevents the trees from growing much higher than 60 feet. Although my area is considered forest, it is still a 15 minutes drive from Long Island Sound. Strong winds and weather are the norm throughout the year, causing tall/weak trees to fall....which is beneficial to the woods. The fallen limbs/trees create habitats for many different animals...in addition to making natural bridges to cross the brook, streams and swamps. The opening in the canopy left by the fallen tree allows sunlight to hit the ground where it normally doesn't, giving energy to new saplings that will grow tall and start the cycle all over again.
In this location I just described, the Catbirds were completely at ease. One or two would forage and bring back nest material while one would 'stand watch' and sing the warbler-like song. They often rotated. They seemed to really enjoy hopping along downed tree trunks..... I think the highest I saw any of them in a tree was (maybe) 10 feet up. They always were either on a branch, logs, or rock that was as close to the ground as they could get without actually being on the ground.
Once I found this spot (which was filled with Black and White, Blue-winged and Black-throated Blue Warblers.....wood and hermit thrushes and veerys.....and a zillion chipmunks) I decided to have lunch and sit and let nature come to me. And come to me it did.... one of the Catbirds got so close that I was going over in my head whether or not I should try to catch him...while I was sitting down. I decided to leave him be...which was the right decision. For leaving him be, he allowed me to have a conversation with him. I would make three 'pishing/whistle' noises....and he would respond with a little bit of his warbler-like call. We did this for about 15 minutes before six deer came barreling through the woods..... I soon found out that a homeowner had their dog escape, as it too flew past me on the trail of the deer.
Once the deer ruind the moment I continued back on my aimless wandering..... and the Catbird came with me. He followed me for a good two hours..... all the while doing his own business, but following me nonetheless. He always stayed at a minimum distance of about 12 feet...unless I stopped and sat for 15+ minutes....then he would come very close. A few times he was within my reach.
I do not know why I described the whole forest, I suppose I wanted to create a decent visualization of the habitat. I have really grown fond of the Catbirds... they are very pretty birds, and in the right light witht heir tail fanned a little bit....they are gorgeous. I especially enjoy their calm, curious demeanor.... it allows me to get really close and learn about them. I have yet to pinpoint the nest, but hope do to so soon. I made a crappy map of my forest and mark off where I see nests so I can keep an eye on them. Right now I know the nest location of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, a Northern Flicker, White-throated Sparrows and Chipping Sparrows, American Goldfinches, a pair of Indigo Buntings, Red-tailed Hawks and an American Woodcock. I would like to add the Catbird's nest on my list..... when I go into the forest I make rounds and check each nesting spot..... so far I've seen some babies that are as ugly as they are cute. Although not all of the nests have babies/eggs (I can't see some).
So I guess the moral of the rant is that I like Gray Catbirds. =)
Total ('08 and Life): 161
Most recent: Mourning Warbler, Canada Warbler, Philadelphia and Blue-headed Vireos, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Favs: Indigo Bunting, Cerulean Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Canada Warbler
