My Life’s Birds: #182

April 28, 1994 – Christian Co, Mo – Mimids are a fun group generally. They have lots of personality, in as much as birds can be said to have personality (birdinality?). On the whole, the group consists of earthy-toned, long tailed, medium billed perching birds with a diverse repertoire of songs and calls confined to the New World but found from Canada to Tierra del Fuego.

From within that group we can separate further into the North American species, the ubiquitous Northern Mockingbird, celebrated in prose and song, the Thrashers, a diverse group of big-billed skulkers, and the third; subtly plumaged, simply voiced and personally appreciated above all, the Gray Catbird.

It’s not a distinction shared with my wife by any means, and I’ve written on that very topic in the past, she has her own issues with Catbirds. But I like them. I like the jaunty way they perch on the fenceposts in my yard, I like the steely gray and the flash of color on the undertail coverts and they way they look at you with those coal black eyes. I don’t know whether there’s really anything there, I don’t like attributing human traits to birds (though I’m guilty of it occasionally), but there might be.

Catbirds were regular in Missouri when I was growing up though they weren’t terribly common. In North Carolina I see them hopping around like robins in city parks. Even with the greater familiarity, the novelty doesn’t go away, and I enjoy every time I pish one in and hear that raspy mew. It’s music to my ears.

photo from wikipedia