{"id":85968,"date":"2021-04-27T05:48:54","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T11:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=85968"},"modified":"2025-03-02T14:33:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T20:33:53","slug":"perky-adult-gray-catbird-in-the-wasatch-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/04\/27\/perky-adult-gray-catbird-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"Perky Adult Gray Catbird In The Wasatch Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"

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. Typically I find Gray Catbirds at higher elevations in the mountains here in northern Utah. I see them most often in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/a> that are close to home but I also find them in the sky island mountains of the West Desert.<\/p>\n

\"PerkyPerky adult Gray Catbird \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

During the early part of their breeding season I often hear these black-capped, gray birds before I see them. I love to hear them sing<\/span><\/a> and call<\/span><\/a>. Also, during the breeding season these normally skulky birds spend more time perched out in the open where I can photograph them easily.<\/p>\n

There are times when I am listening to Gray Catbirds calling that I get the giggles because those calls can be so insistent. It is challenging to stay still enough to take sharp photos when I am giggling.<\/p>\n

This perky adult Gray Catbird was photographed last spring high in the Wasatch Mountains during an interaction with another bird<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gray Catbirds aren’t flashy birds but I adore them, their calls, and watching them go about their lives. I can barely wait until I see and hear my first of year catbirds.<\/p>\n

I have one more day of dreary, cloudy weather to get through and then I can head back out into the field to search for them and all the other birds that are migrating into northern Utah.<\/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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141104,"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":[4004,3940,6559,6558,3607,898,3606,821,4069,3819,165,4176,8917],"class_list":["post-85968","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-canyon","tag-catbird","tag-catbirds","tag-dumetella-carolinensis","tag-fence-post","tag-gray-catbird","tag-mimids-2","tag-mountains","tag-perky","tag-spring","tag-wasatch-mountains","tag-wooden-post"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/gray-catbird-perky-adult-mia-mcpherson-0015.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-mmA","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":85968,"position":0},"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":104614,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/07\/30\/fledgling-gray-catbird-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":85968,"position":1},"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":59059,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/07\/17\/my-first-gray-catbird-juvenile-sighting-of-the-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":85968,"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":68304,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/04\/12\/my-first-of-year-gray-catbird-heard-but-not-seen\/","url_meta":{"origin":85968,"position":3},"title":"My First Of Year Gray Catbird – Heard But Not Seen","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"On April 2nd in a canyon in some mountains of the West Desert of Utah I heard a familiar call, the mewing call of a Gray Catbird while I was looking for birds to photograph.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Gray Catbird with a berry in its bill, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gray-catbird-adult-twinberry-mia-mcpherson-8877.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gray-catbird-adult-twinberry-mia-mcpherson-8877.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gray-catbird-adult-twinberry-mia-mcpherson-8877.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gray-catbird-adult-twinberry-mia-mcpherson-8877.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47056,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/06\/02\/gray-catbird-singing-in-a-stand-of-willows-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":85968,"position":4},"title":"Gray Catbird singing in a Stand of Willows in the Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Gray Catbirds are related to mockingbirds and thrashers and are in the family Mimidae and all of them are noted for their vocalizations and their ability to mimic a wide variety of bird songs and calls and human made sounds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gray Catbird singing in a stand of willows, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-singing-mia-mcpherson-4613.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-singing-mia-mcpherson-4613.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-singing-mia-mcpherson-4613.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gray-catbird-singing-mia-mcpherson-4613.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":85968,"position":5},"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, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2740.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2740.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2740.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gray-catbird-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2740.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\/85968","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=85968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}