I spent much of yesterday birdwatching from the kitchen window. A family of grey catbirds had become resident in the garden but although we could plainly hear them, they proved rather elusive to spot, so I figured the only way I was going to stand any chance of capturing them on camera was to sit and wait patiently by the window. Any kind of bird that isn’t a sparrow is a welcome sight in our garden, we usually see little else, although we do get quite a few goldfinches at this time of year.
Now don’t get me wrong. Sparrows are fun to watch. They are a rowdy bunch and quite resourceful when it comes to finding food. There are a lot of young sparrow families out there right now so there is quite a bit of activity around the birdbath and surrounding area.
Naturally, the birds are very cautious as there is always the threat of attack from the local hawk who is constantly keeping an eye on what’s going on down below.
So I wait to see what develops and, wouldn’t you know it, my old friend the rabbit shows up, followed closely by a squirrel.
I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever catch a glimpse of the catbird when all of a sudden, there it is! Gotcha!
Then two more show up! I think they are nesting in the tangle of shrubs that have grown rampant following earlier rains. Anything could be living in there! I half-expect to see Big Foot step out of the undergrowth first thing in the morning, or at the very least a stray cougar.
Getting one catbird in the frame was great but two was even better. They loved the birdbath and were even willing to share it with the sparrows.
Then, just when everything seemed to be going along splendidly, a shadow swooped overhead and the hawk made a pass across the rooftops. I don’t think he was successful but every creature in the garden scattered, putting paid to any further activity and I had to be content with what I had.
The Nature of Things 
You got so many wonderful photos of your garden visitors. Like you, I often have to sit at the window and watch. Birds of prey are magnificent to watch, even though they can quickly scare everything in the garden away. I don’t even let my dog outside unless I’m with him, because of the owls and hawks.
Thanks for stopping by, Robin. I do feel rather guilty when I feed the birds and the hawk takes advantage of it but I guess that’s all part of nature and life.
Right now my bird feeder is sitting empty because I’m fixing it so the grackles can’t steal all of the birdseed. The are mean and chase the other birds away. Otherwise, I’d be happy to feed them, too. They don’t fall into the same category as a hawk.
Yes, the grackles are rather the bully boys. I’ve seen them kill sparrows just for getting too close when they’re eating.
Sad!
It takes a great deal of patience to sit and wait for the birds and I commend you for it. Great pictures
Thank you, Francis! Actually it was a good excuse for not getting on with other things that I didn’t particularly want to do. And the resulting pictures helped to justify it.
That’s so cool that you can see all that from your window, Sue 😁
It’s surprising what you can see if you wait long enough. My Dad used enjoy looking out of this same window and told me once that he thought he’d seen a strange eight-legged animal until he realized he was looking at two possums walking in close formation.
Great photos and how fortunate to see all those interesting birds and creatures from your window. Wonder why they are called catbirds!
Thanks, Marianne! the birds do sound remarkably like cats at times, which is what alerted me to their presence. I don’t know if they use this call as a warning to other birds. Fortunately they don’t make that sound all the time as it can become rather annoying after a while.
Thanks for that. Purr!
I’d never heard of catbirds Sue, so I did some exploration on Google. They are wonderful looking with those varied tones of gray. Clearly the animals love your yard, and the hawk knows that 😦
Yes, I think the hawk has figured out that this is a good place to come for a quick snack. I feel bad about it but unfortunately you can’t have one thing without the other and the hawk is a beautiful bird that has to eat too.
What a delightful time you had sitting by your kitchen window! With such a lovely variety of birds, and critters you had, and that Catbird is wonderful! I like the one that’s sitting with it’s wing or tail splayed. That’s a cool posture to get.
Yes, it looks rather like it’s doing a fan dance. I suspect it was a youngster, acting very goofy. Hopefully that doesn’t prove to be its downfall. The last thing you want to do is draw attention to yourself when there’s a hawk on the prowl.
Hopefully it learns to fan and show off in mating season when there’s not a hawk in residence! He’s so wonderful and pretty, I hope that’s the way he plays it and lives a long happy life producing birds just like him to keep the line going and bring us joy at the same time.
Thank you for introducing your backyard neighbors. All are beautifully captured, Sue! Lovely birds 💗 🙂
Thanks, Amy!
I would be more than content with such a grand selection of birds so nicely photographed.
Thanks, Tom! I could have wished the pics to be a bit sharper but I was taking them through a screen so I guess I didn’t do too badly. I’m too much of a chicken to take the screens down in case the birds decide to fly in and join me.
A sensible decision, I would say.
I like the way catbirds hold their tail up proudly. Nice shots of them!
Thank you! Yes it does give them a very self-assured appearance.
Amazing bird pictures, Sue! Cute rabbit and squirrel! A day spent beautifully!!
Thanks, Indira! I was lucky that so many things showed up, but then a handful of seed and a bowl of water always helps.
The birds and wildlife, make my heart sing. Your photos are beautiful. Your garden is truly a magical place.
Thank you so much! Every year I think about downsizing the garden by grassing over some of the flower beds but then I think about how much pleasure I get from seeing everything grow and the birds and animals that visit so I leave things as they are. The garden may not be quite as tidy as I’d like but I would definitely miss it if it wasn’t there.
Catbird….those sound like a kitten right?
Yes, they do sound very cat-like. I hear them a lot when I visit our local nature center but this is the first time we’ve hosted them in our garden. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting.
I thought that was the CatBird, my father always told me about them, when I would say – I think I hear a kitten….
I’d be mighty content with these Sue. Loved how you told the story and that first image is a real stunner!
Thanks, Tina! We have had quite a lot of visitors to the garden this summer but you don’t really appreciate or realize just what’s out there until you sit still for a while and watch.
Beautiful photos. 🙂
Thank you so much, Lynette!