Kitty, kitty, kitty...

My favorite thing about Gray Catbirds? They listen to you when you talk to them.

I was going to blog about my favorite (next to Warlbies!) bird, the Gray Catbird this morning, and then I checked my blog buddy, Kelly's, "Red and the Peanut." Wouldn't you know it, she has a lovely post about Gray Catbirds. We seem to get the same ideas every now and then! But I wouldn't want to be a copy 'CAT'...or would I?

They're still my favorite bird, so you have to look at them! I was going through old photos in my collection and noticed one of the very first photos I shot when I got back into photography and fell in love with birding, was a Gray Catbird on Sanibel Island, Florida. The photo was crappy by the way, so you won't see it! You're welcome.

The first time I noticed one was in a friend's backyard, his name is Harry. When I heard the Catbird calling, he was calling "Harry!" And that's what I hear every time now.

I've read that they are a 'secretive' bird. Nah. We have had a pair nesting somewhere in our garden for a couple of years. If I go outside, one of them will sometimes greet me at the side door with a soft mew. If I don't see them, I can pish and one is sure to pop up and call for "Harry," then show off his vocal abilities with a gaggle of songs he's learned.

If you talk quietly to them, they will sit and watch you and I'm sure they're listening to what you have to say. I like birds that listen to what I say. Even when it's not important.

He looks so sad. He's being banded and measured at Black Swamp Bird Observatory.

Of course I'm going to show you the 'ventrical' side! (Thanks to Craig Caldwell for the new name!)

He was kind enough to hold his tail up so you can see the little flash of color on his little kitty booty.

"HARRY!!"

In a more pensive mood...

This one was DEFINITELY an odd bird! Talk about givin' the crazy eye.

I have at least 10 shots of him rocking back and forth lookin at me like I'm the crazy one...we all know better...right?

"Hey Guys! Is this Harry? Never mind..."

This is from this past weekend's outing with Western Cuyahoga Audubon (check their site for the story and photos!) I was amazed at the number of Catbirds out and the number of juveniles like this one.

Looking for answers...or bugs...

Getting all puffy to sing every aria he knows!

Here's one of the old photos I mentioned. How could you not like this bird?

Okay, I've 'stretched' this out long enough!

Got Stamps?

Here's our new Duck Stamps! We didn't like the silly faces we had, so I made them go away. It was for your protection, believe me...

The 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamps are now available. They have a great painting of a Long-tailed Duck by Joshua Spies. That alone is worth the small investment! The price is only $15 and the money goes to purchasing and preserving waterfowl habitat. To date nearly 3 MILLION acres have been saved, thanks to this program and the hunters and birders that purchase these stamps.

More birders need to get on the band wagon with this program since we all use these areas for bird watching. You can mount the stamp on your binoculars or other optics or, as Black Swamp Bird Observatory sells them, hang the plastic fob on your bird vest or camera strap. The point is, BUY ONE! We need to start investing in our wildlife habitat as do the hunters and fishermen.

Our buddy Hugh, the bizness manager at Black Swamp. That's me holding my stamp, making a really bad face, the one I was born with...




I had to include a photo! It's my blog after all...We saw this Long-tailed Duck last December along the lakefront of downtown Cleveland...before the ice of January came.

And here's your token butt shot of the day! It's amazing how they always turn around for me.

And now for something completely different...

I know this is completely off the subject, butt I had to lighten things up a bit. I am standing with "Monica," our BirdMobile mascot. Now, she's normally outfitted in birding attire, being a birder, though not a very good one. Actually, she's a better perch.

Anyway, we came home one evening, and lo and behold, Monica had been molested and put into a bikini! Imagine my shock and horror at such a gruesome sight! Our neighbors, Nancy and Jim and their family thought it would be a good practical joke on us! Indeed. Here's a warning for you, watch your manikins!

This is what Monica normally looks like next to Laurie's Landie.

We'll be back to "serious" posting later...or not...