Gray catbird foraging for insects and fallen berries in the leaf litter. Not the black cap and rusty patch under the tail.

The yard birds here at the north end of the Peninsula have out done themselves this past week. Besides eating us out of house and home, they required bath water changes several times a day. Looking after the yard birds has become a full-time job, but an enjoyable one! The reward has been huge and somewhat unexpected. The number of species increased from a daily average of 21 to an average of 25 daily. Interesting bird behavior has also increased, and I have been lucky enough to observe some behaviors for the first time.

The black-headed grosbeak is bringing its fledglings to the feeder. The female has been taking a seed to place in the mouth of its youngster. The brown creeper was creeping up an alder trunk with a fledgling creeping along behind. As soon as an insect was found under the bark or in the tangles of moss, the adult did an about face and shoved the tasty morsel into the young bird’s mouth. The parade up the tree trunk continued for at least five minutes after which the adult and baby flew to another nearby alder trunk where the parade began once again. Purple finch juveniles out-number the juveniles belonging to other species. American goldfinch adult males hog the feeders as much as they can. They occasionally allow one or two female goldfinches to join them. One of the adult male goldfinches is almost white in color. The normally brilliant yellow is muted and patchy. He is not always welcome at the feeder. This leucistic male stands out in the crowd and is often chased away by the other male goldfinches.

Three new additions to the yard are the western tanager, evening grosbeak and the gray catbird. The western tanager made its first visit to the yard on July 22. Both the male and the female bathed and drank in the late afternoon, just around the dinner hour. Competition for the bird bath lessens as the day grows longer. The male with its brilliant red head, bright yellow body and black back, wings and tail is a beauty. The female is also beautiful. She is mainly yellowish green above and yellow below.

A female evening grosbeak dropped by for a sunflower seed breakfast on July 21. It is a stocky finch with a large, pale cone shaped greenish or yellowish bill. It about the size of a starling. The female is a grayer version of the male which wears a brownish shade on its head, that fades into yellow on the back, rump, and underparts. The male’s forehead and eyebrows are bright yellow, and it sports two large white wing patches. Evening Grosbeaks are uncommon on the Peninsula and should be added to the local checklist of birds. They were reported in Ocean Park in 2022, but this is the first time it has been seen in my yard. I saw my first evening grosbeak quite a few years ago at a feeder in Naselle. It appears that this species is expanding its range to include the Peninsula albeit slowly as far I can tell.

The gray catbird was the biggest surprise. It made its first appearance on July 22. Peterson’s “Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America” (2020) indicates that the gray catbird is a rare vagrant to the West Coast. The 2023 field checklist of the birds of Pacific County ranks the gray catbird as category five which means there are fewer than five sightings. Furthermore, the checklist of birds for the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge does not list the gray catbird. So far, the catbird has been in the yard for two days. It has been eating insects and berries and drinking and bathing in the bird bath.

The gray catbird is smaller than a robin. It is gray with a black cap and a russet patch under its tail. It often gives a cat-like mewing and tends to flick its tail as it mews. It also has a musical call. It has been gleaning and foraging on the ground and low bushes for insects and fallen berries. In doing so, it pokes at the litter to turn leaves and debris over with its bill to locate the food underneath. Its preferred habitat is gardens, thickets, bushes, and residential areas. This certainly fits the bill. The yard has thickets and bushes and a garden.

It has been exciting to be out and about in the yard this mid-July. Keep an eye out for unusual or new birds in your yard or your favorite birding patch. You might just see something new and interesting. Happy birding!