{"id":70558,"date":"2020-06-06T06:24:37","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T12:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=70558"},"modified":"2025-02-16T10:33:31","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T16:33:31","slug":"photographing-gray-catbird-interactions-in-the-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/06\/06\/photographing-gray-catbird-interactions-in-the-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographing Gray Catbird Interactions In The Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Gray Catbird in a snowberry bush – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

This morning I’m grateful that I spotted a single Gray Catbird pop up on top of a snowberry bush yesterday morning because if I hadn’t none of the following photos would have been possible. When the Gray Catbird was in my viewfinder I thought I would get a few images of it perched on the bush, that it would fly off or take cover and that would be the end of the story.<\/p>\n

I was wrong. What followed after this photo was the most fun I have had photographing Gray Catbirds in quite some time! I took a nice series of the catbird on the bush and then it flew directly towards me.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Gray Catbird portrait – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The catbird landed on a fence so close that the only thing I could do without taking off my teleconverter was take portraits of it.<\/p>\n

I’m not grumbling about how close the Gray Catbird came to me, it is the opposite of that. I am over the moon when I can take portraits of wild birds that come this close to me because portraits often show fine feather details that photos taken from further away can’t show as well.<\/p>\n

I was practically purring as I took one portrait after another of the adult Gray Catbird perched on the fence.<\/p>\n

\"GrayGray Catbird perched in a snowberry bush – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The catbird stayed on the fence long enough for me to satisfy my desire for portraits and then flew off to the top of another part of the snowberry bush. It was at this time that I noticed another catbird down on the ground below it. I wasn’t sure what the second catbird was up to but since I had grasses between it and myself I put my focus back on the catbird that was in plain view.<\/p>\n

\"BackBack view of an adult Gray Catbird – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

And took photos of its back side when it moved to another part of the bushes. I thought part of the barbed wire fence might ruin this series of images but I must have been able to avoid having the fence in the frame.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Gray Catbird on a lichen topped fence post – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

After a few seconds the Gray Catbird took flight and landed on a fence post lightly topped with lichens where the light was so wonderful that its rufous undertail coverts seemed to glow. I was really pleased too that all the trees and vegetation were so far away from the bird that I could tell I was going to have a pleasing background in the images I took of the bird.<\/p>\n

\"GrayGray Catbird keeping watch from a fence post – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Then the catbird flew to the top of another nearby fence post. I was twisted so that I could aim my lens behind me at this time and my legs were cramping but I kept right on photographing the striking gray bird.<\/p>\n

\"CuriousCurious look from an adult Gray Catbird – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I felt like the catbird was giving me and my lens a curious look when I took this photo but it may well have been looking at something else. In fact, I am fairly certain it was.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Gray Catbird fluttering its wings – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the Gray Catbird seemed to get excited, it raised its tail, dropped its wings a bit and then started to quickly flutter them. I really wish I had been able to take still images and video simultaneously at about this time so I could show the catbird’s wings fluttering.<\/p>\n

\"AnAn excited adult Gray Catbird – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The catbird seemed to get even more excited and turned its head towards me, lifted its tail higher and opened its bill. I honestly can’t recall if the catbird was calling or not while its bill was open and what happened next seems to have erased that information from my brain.<\/p>\n

\"TwoTwo adult Gray Catbirds interacting – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

A second Gray Catbird flew in and landed on the fence post to the left of the first catbird and they seemed agitated with each other. I was firing a burst at this time and what follows took place so quickly that I barely saw it through my viewfinder. This photo and the four that follow are in sequential order…<\/p>\n

\"OneOne adult Gray Catbird kicking another catbird – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gray Catbird that flew in and landed on the post raised its right foot and pressed it against the flank of the first catbird…<\/p>\n

\"GrayGray Catbird kicking another catbird – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Jumped up and used its foot to push the first catbird…<\/p>\n

\"GrayGray Catbird kicking another catbird off of a fence post – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Causing the first catbird to lose its balance…<\/p>\n

\"GrayGray Catbird falling from a fence post – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

And as the first catbird fell off the fence post it took flight. I had to laugh out loud when I viewed this series of images on my larger screen at home. This interaction transpired so rapidly that I just saw a blur between the shutter moving in the viewfinder screen.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Gray Catbird seeking cover in a Serviceberry bush – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1000, -0.3 EV, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

So what happened after the victorious Gray Catbird kicked the first catbird off of the fence?<\/p>\n

An American Robin flew in and chased the victor off of the fence post! I just had to laugh about that. More about the robin in another post because this story on these images has gotten long enough already.<\/p>\n

This photo shows the vanquished Gray Catbird taking shelter in a serviceberry shrub away from the robin that usurped its position on the fence post.<\/p>\n

\"AgitatedAgitated Gray Catbird calling from a Serviceberry – Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1000, -0.3 EV, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I do recall the Gray Catbird calling from the safety of the serviceberry bush. I took photos of the Gray Catbirds for eleven action-packed, thrilling minutes.<\/p>\n

I am ecstatic that I found the Gray Catbird on top of the snowberry bush yesterday morning. The catbird interactions that followed were just so much fun to photograph that it ought to be illegal.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Gray Catbird photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This morning I’m grateful that I spotted a single Gray Catbird pop up on top of a snowberry bush yesterday morning because if I hadn’t none of the following photos would have been possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140175,"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":[4004,5878,6523,5180,4430,6585,4072,3940,6559,6558,4142,6010,3607,10013,10008,3830,898,2659,10011,3606,10012,10010,10009,3291,10014,821,4069,4046,5906,7356,10007,8623,8591,6522,5498,8917],"class_list":["post-70558","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-adult","tag-agitated","tag-amelanchier-utahensis","tag-back-view","tag-barbed-wire","tag-bush","tag-calling","tag-canyon","tag-catbird","tag-catbirds","tag-close-up","tag-curious","tag-dumetella-carolinensis","tag-excited","tag-falling","tag-fence","tag-fence-post","tag-fluttering","tag-foot","tag-gray-catbird","tag-interacting","tag-jumped","tag-kicking","tag-lichen","tag-look","tag-mimids-2","tag-mountains","tag-portrait","tag-riparian-zone","tag-roundleaf-snowberry","tag-rufous-undertail-coverts","tag-shelter","tag-symphoricarpos-rotundifolius","tag-utah-serviceberry","tag-wings","tag-wooden-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gray-catbirds-interacting-mia-mcpherson-0049.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-im2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":103346,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/06\/17\/gray-catbird-on-a-stump-in-a-creek\/","url_meta":{"origin":70558,"position":0},"title":"Gray 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McPherson","date":"April 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The month of May is nearly upon us and for me that means it is time to start looking and listening for my first of year Gray Catbird.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Perky adult Gray Catbird, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gray-catbird-perky-adult-mia-mcpherson-0015.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gray-catbird-perky-adult-mia-mcpherson-0015.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gray-catbird-perky-adult-mia-mcpherson-0015.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Wasatch Mountains","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-adult-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-0225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-adult-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-0225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-adult-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-0225.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/american-robin-adult-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-0225.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":70558,"position":4},"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":66174,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/03\/05\/juvenile-gray-catbird-with-an-eye-on-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":70558,"position":5},"title":"Juvenile Gray Catbird With An Eye On Me","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Juvenile Gray Catbird perched on a branch, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3961.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3961.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3961.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-3961.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}