Goodbye, Catbirds

It appears that our oh-too-short Gray Catbird season has come to its end. I last saw one Monday, and they did not show up at all on BirdCam photography of the suet feeder or first-hand observation yesterday. I'm not surprised. We usually see our last Catbird the third week of August. The place won't be the same without them. I think the parting is all the sadder because we have the Catbirds as guests for only four months of the year here, and because they leave such an impression. They slip in in mid-April (we first saw one April 20th), storm the suet feeders, then lead the attack on our Mahonia berries in May, and then spend the rest of their time gorging, bathing, making mewling sounds from the undercover, and whatever else Catbirds like to do. So off they go, ready to spend the fall and winter in someplace that will generally be warmer than here...in time. Goodbye, Catbirds. We will meet again next spring!