The catbird

We have gray catbirds here in the summer.  They do sound like a meowing cat (or perhaps a creaking swing).  I remember the first ones we saw here.  My son was fairly young and had never seen a real-life catbird, though he must have seen them in books.  One day he said, "I saw a catbird."  I could hardly believe it.  He didn't ask what kind of bird he had seen; he just knew what it was the first time he saw it.  I questioned him, of course, as to the description.  (I think he had seen it light on the back of a deck chair, if memory serves me correctly.)  Not long after that, I either heard the bird or saw it myself. 
I suppose I will always remember that incident whenever I see a catbird.  Here are some shots I got this week of the catbirds.

On another note, I did see a couple of the bluebird fledglings in the tree outside my window.  I hastily tried to snap a photo.  It was too blurry, but at least it can serve as evidence that the birds are out of the box and flying about.  The male parent had just fed one of them.  They were only there for a few seconds before they followed Papa Bluebird out of my sight.

 

It won't be long before the bluebirds start a second brood.