Catbird singing

Catbirds have been back for over a month but they’re more obvious now than they had been, they’re singing. Gray Catbirds are mimic thrushes. They’re in the same group of birds as Northern Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers. They sometimes imitate other birds or sounds in their local area. One catbird here at the Museum does a very good job of imitating the “police” whistles used by the Animal Keepers to call in the bears. But what ever the catbird imitates,Read more

Two Birds

Besides the familiar American Robin and Eastern Bluebird, the Hermit Thrush is the only other thrush that you’re likely to encounter in our area during winter. If you have a desire to see a Hermit Thrush during this time of year it’s best to look in low lying areas and riparian woodlands. More importantly, your chances of finding one increase dramatically when there’s a supply of berries nearby. Although Hermit Thrushes eat mainly insects in summer, they switch over toRead more

Early Nesters, Arrivals, Delayed Departures

It was a busy time for birds. Besides the Red-shouldered Hawks snatching frogs out of the Wetlands, Carolina Chickadees feeding their young in a nest in a Loblolly Pine between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild, and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers sitting on eggs in another loblolly in front of the Lemur House, many new seasonal arrivals and migrants have been observed. After a seven-month absence, a Green Heron was back on station on 28 April. As if it hadRead more