I took this picture of a catbird at Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the North Carolina Outer Banks, June 2008. 

Not nearly as visible as its cousin the mockingbird, catbirds are more likely to be heard than seen.  However, if you do see a catbird, you can identify it by these characteristics: long tail, relatively small bill, uniformly slate gray all over, black cap on its head and black beady eye, and usually has a rufous/brownish colored patch at the base of its tail.  Catbirds may be a tiny bit smaller than a mockingbird, but is basically the same size. 

Catbirds are usually found close to very dense thickets and can be found basically everywhere west of the Rocky Mountains.  Catbirds must be a little smarter than most other songbirds.  Brown-headed cowbirds - songbirds which lay their eggs in other species’ nests and make that mother bear the load of raising their young - are rarely successful in parasitizing catbirds.  Catbirds have been repeatedly documented pushing cowbird eggs of their nest, apparently they have great memory and recognition of their own eggs.

Though not quite the skilled mimic as a mockingbird, gray catbirds can imitate over 100 known sounds - ranging from mechanical sounds to tree frogs to other birds.  Their characteristic ‘mew’-sounding song is what gives them their “feline” name. 

Keep a closer eye out next time you think you hear a mockingbird and you might catch a glimpse of a gray catbird. 

How many of you have heard the unique song of a whip-poor-will in the early dawn of morning as you are trying to catch those last few precious hours of sleep?  A notoriously incessant singer, many a whip-poor-will has met an early death by those kept awake by their music. 

But to a more serious tone…the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is beginning a survey for whip-poor-will and chuck will’s widow birds in the state’s mountain region.  The survey will be carried out by wildlife professionals and avid birders who volunteer their time to conduct night listening drives throughout the region.  Results will help identify factors that have lead to the decline in whip-poor-will populations and give researchers a better grasp of their distribution across the landscape. 

The main windows for the survey are May 12-27 and June 11-26.  These fall with the moon’s pattern of being 50% or more illuminated.  Research has shown that calling spikes dramatically during these periods and more birds should be able to be heard and located.  If you think you might be interested in volunteering a few of your summer nights to help out the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission get a firmer grasp on the status of the whip-poor-will in NC’s mountains, visit this site for more information or contact Chris Kelly at kellych@earthlink.net

Now that is a face that only a mother could love.  A whip-poor-will just might have more cryptic camouflage than the American woodcock that I highlighted a month or so back in a bird species profile. 

In light of today being Valentine’s Day, I thought I would post about the American woodcock, or “timberdoodle” as some know it. With love on our minds, some of you may be interested to know that woodcocks perform quite elaborate courtship rituals. I will also let you know a key identification tip for distinguishing between males and females, and a few signs to look for in woodcock habitat.

Photo courtesy of the USFWS.

During the timberdoodle’s breeding season (springtime), males and females gather at communal dancing grounds. Usually performing in forest openings or field edges, males “peent” (Click on Song to listen at the link) and rush skywards in a twirling manner until out of sight. Accompanied by a twittering sound, they then descend in an ever-tightening spiral back down to earth. This can repeat itself over and over again throughout the course of a courting session. Probably more of a show than our wives will get from us men for Valentine’s Day, huh?!?! The twittering sound emitted from the males actually comes from wind rushing through the timberdoodle’s modified 8th, 9th, and 10th primary feathers.

Herein lies the sex identification tip. If you pull out a woodcock’s wing, the last 3 feathers are the 8th, 9th, and 10th primary feathers. The male’s feathers are narrower and shaped somewhat like a sickle and the feather’s middle portion is much more narrow than the tip. However, the female’s feathers are shaped more uniform throughout and lack the distinct sickle shape.  Check out this link to Michigan’s DNR for more sex and age identification tips.

As for hunting American woodcock, recent estimates put nationwide harvest at 2 million birds. Grouse hunters often encounter timberdoodles with pointing and flushing dogs. As for myself, I try to take a few December hikes in search of bottomland woodcocks. By focusing on swampy areas with lots of pencil-diameter holes in the mud (signs of a woodcock searching for earthworms) and half dollar-sized white droppings, one can expect to flush a hiding timberdoodle closeby. Fortunately for those of us who struggle with close quartered-wing shooting, woodcocks often pitch back to earth within a hundred or so yards.

Here is a picture depicting typical woodcock droppings.  I’m sure some of you see it too, there’s a bird there too.  Incredible cryptic camouflage!

I’ve only ever downed one.  It fell to my 20 gauge single and is now proudly displayed just beyond the outstretched claws of my bobcat mount.  The mount is back at my parent’s home, but I’ll look for a picture of it in my files.

Send me any pictures you have of successful woodcock hunts at outdoorsmorgasbord@yahoo.com

Depending on what part of the country you live in, cedar waxwings may be a permanent resident or just a seasonal visitor.  For North Carolina where I live and other states farther to the south, this time of year is your best time to view the cedar waxwing.  For regions to the north and west, cedar waxwings are a year-round treat.  I know some of you have witnessed swarms on waxwings feeding on bushes and trees loaded down with berries.  Despite the possible appearance of cutthroat feeding frenzies, cedar waxwings can actually be seen passing twigs of berries down a line so that all birds get their fair share of food.  Cedar waxwings are named after their favorite food, eastern redcedar cones…but there is more to the label.  Unless you have ever taken a real close look at a cedar waxwing, you probably haven’t noticed their most astounding physical feature…actual “waxwings”, hence the name.  The below picture is an individual that I captured during May 2007 in Cecil County, Maryland.  We were mistnetting songbirds in a diverse mixture of habitats and marking them with aluminum bands for the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). 

At the end of the feathers closest to the bird’s body, you can see small drops of red “wax”.  Physically, the drops even feel like wax.  So the next time you are close to a flock of cedar waxwings, pick up a pair of binoculars and enjoy a closer look at one of nature’s subtle beauties.