{"id":66174,"date":"2020-03-05T05:03:58","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T12:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=66174"},"modified":"2025-05-31T14:07:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T19:07:32","slug":"juvenile-gray-catbird-with-an-eye-on-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/03\/05\/juvenile-gray-catbird-with-an-eye-on-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Juvenile Gray Catbird With An Eye On Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JuvenileJuvenile Gray Catbird perched on a branch \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 1250, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I started to do a post on this juvenile Gray Catbird yesterday when my server had some major issues and since I couldn’t fix the server like I used to I decided to hop in my Jeep and head to Bear River MBR<\/span><\/a> but I still wanted to write about this young catbird.<\/p>\n

Gray Catbirds are migratory and although they have been found in Utah most months of the year they only begin to show up here in northern Utah in large numbers around mid May which is about the time that I am able to access many of the mountain roads again. When Gray Catbirds first arrive I am able to find the males because they sing frequently while later in the season after they have mated they are quieter and harder to locate.<\/p>\n

Juvenile Gray Catbirds have to grow up quickly here because most of the catbirds migrate out of the state by the end of September. I only have a brief window of opportunity to photograph fledgling and juvenile catbirds and I try to take advantage of the short period of time I have with them.<\/p>\n

Two years ago I was able to find and photograph quiet a few young Gray Catbirds high in the Wasatch Mountain canyons<\/span><\/a> including this one who seemed to be keeping an eye on me. The juvenile Gray Catbird was perched in a serviceberry bush near a creek and may have bathed before it popped into view because a few of its feathers looked slightly damp. The light on the catbird was lovely too.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Gray Catbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two years ago I was able to find and photograph quiet a few young Gray Catbirds high in the Wasatch Mountain canyons including this one who seemed to be keeping an eye on me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,3605,4594,26,773],"tags":[4897,195,6559,6558,3843,3607,3606,4067,4071,6583,4069,4104,4076,4193],"class_list":["post-66174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-gray-catbirds","category-morgan-county","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-branch","tag-canyons","tag-catbird","tag-catbirds","tag-creek","tag-dumetella-carolinensis","tag-gray-catbird","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-leaves","tag-mountains","tag-perched","tag-trees","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3961.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-hdk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":104614,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/30\/fledgling-gray-catbird-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":66174,"position":0},"title":"Fledgling Gray Catbird Portraits","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning while photographing a male Yellow Warbler I caught some movement with my peripheral vison and saw a young Gray Catbird very close to me.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fledgling Gray Catbird portrait, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/gray-catbird-juvenile-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8991.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/gray-catbird-juvenile-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8991.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/gray-catbird-juvenile-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8991.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/gray-catbird-juvenile-portrait-mia-mcpherson-8991.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":103346,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/06\/17\/gray-catbird-on-a-stump-in-a-creek\/","url_meta":{"origin":66174,"position":1},"title":"Gray Catbird On A Stump In A Creek","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"While I was up in the Wasatch Mountains two days ago I photographed an adult Gray Catbird on a stump that is stuck close to a creek bank.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gray Catbird on a stump, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/gray-catbird-on-stump-mia-mcpherson-9268.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/gray-catbird-on-stump-mia-mcpherson-9268.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/gray-catbird-on-stump-mia-mcpherson-9268.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/gray-catbird-on-stump-mia-mcpherson-9268.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59059,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/07\/17\/my-first-gray-catbird-juvenile-sighting-of-the-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":66174,"position":2},"title":"My First Gray Catbird Juvenile Sighting Of The Season","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I was extremely pleased to find and photograph my first Gray Catbird juvenile of this breeding season yesterday morning high in the Wasatch Mountains as it came into view on a hawthorn tree.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Gray Catbird up close, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/gray-catbird-juvenile-up-close-mia-mcpherson-0023.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/gray-catbird-juvenile-up-close-mia-mcpherson-0023.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/gray-catbird-juvenile-up-close-mia-mcpherson-0023.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/gray-catbird-juvenile-up-close-mia-mcpherson-0023.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53587,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/14\/focusing-on-juvenile-gray-catbirds-learning-to-be-on-their-own\/","url_meta":{"origin":66174,"position":3},"title":"Focusing On Juvenile Gray Catbirds Learning To Be On Their Own","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It was a lot of fun photographing adult Gray Catbirds earlier this year and photographing the juveniles learning to be on their own has been equally fun and entertaining.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Gray Catbird peeking out of a thicket, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, 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11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"When I saw a Gray Catbird fledgling inch its way up a stick two days ago and then exhibit begging behavior by raising its wings and opening its bill I locked on to it.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fledgling Gray Catbird begging in the Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/gray-catbird-fledgling-begging-mia-mcpherson-8107.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/gray-catbird-fledgling-begging-mia-mcpherson-8107.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/gray-catbird-fledgling-begging-mia-mcpherson-8107.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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