Mike Powell

This Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) had to extend its wings for balance as it reached down to grab a berry on Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. A second or so the catbird seemed to be planning its angle of attack on the berry as you can see in the second photo below. I am always amazed at the degree to which a bird can calibrate its actions to keep from falling off of a branch on which it is perched.

Judging from the range maps in my bird guides, Gray Catbirds are in my area throughout the year, but I rarely see one. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “The Gray Catbird belongs to the genus Dumetella, which means “small thicket.” And that’s exactly where you should go look for this little skulker.” As you may be able to tell from the photos, the catbird remained pretty well-hidden in the vegetation and I consider myself lucky to have gotten these relatively unobstructed shots of the bird.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.