Day 44: mealworms and oranges

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OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT!

bird of brushy places

Quarantine Day 44: You're staying at home maintaining your social distancing. We are exploring the woods, muddy places, overgrown ditches and vacant lots to see where nature is happening. 

We heard from Dr. Louise Conrad this morning. One of her favorite birds, if not the favorite the catbirds are back in the understory around their yard. For years I worked with Dr. Louise. She was the in-house veterinarian who took care of the education animals at the nature center.

Gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) only spend their nesting season in our valley, migrating to the Gulf Coast and beyond in winter. Their favorite foods are fruits, berries, insects and worms. Dr. Louise feeds her backyard catbirds mealworms and oranges. Yum. Sounds better than the canned carrots our staff had to eat the other night.   

In this case, their genetic name "Dumetella" has an interesting provenance. In Latin it basically means "small bird of the thornbushes," and catbirds are often found hiding in blackberry brambles, virtually hiding in their pantry. 

Gray catbirds are mimic learners that sing a variety of learned phrases like a mockingbird and ever so often toss in a "meoooow" that sounds like a cat. Thus the name. 

Enjoy the remains of your day. Find some quiet people-less, abandoned place to sit down and watch the clouds pass over.

Ob-la-de, ob-la-da.

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