In the past, my catbirds always fly away in early September, as soon as the chicks are up and at ’em. And they did again this year, except for one. A lone, single catbird has decided to stay. I expect he or she is a young bird, likely hatched in the thicket behind our house. There were two catbird families that used our yard and feeders.
Nancy saw him a week or so ago and told me.
Can’t be, I said, but it was. I thought he would leave soon, but he didn’t. This morning, he flew through an open door into Nancy’s garden cage on the carport and couldn’t figure how to get out. When birds feel trapped, they fly up and that didn’t work. He kept banging against the wire cage everywhere except through the door. Finally, I went to one end of the cage and Nancy went to the other, and with no other place to go, he saw the open door and took off.
It would be cool if he wintered here. I’d make sure he has plenty of suet and seeds, but that experience in the cage may very well be the last straw and he’ll be off to parts unknown.
We’ll see.