A Meow From An Unlikely Source

As I was hanging up my laundry on the clothesline today, I had a nice visit with a neighbor that comes into town for the summers. He or she landed about eight feet away and perched on the clotheslines, right next to the sheet I just hanged and took a shit.

I said to the little birdie, "Oh hell no, don't you dare." Then the bird made a sound that reminded me of Geronimo. It was like a meow. I mimicked the sound and the bird ruffled the feathers on its chest and head, and then cocked his head. We continued our encounter by taking turns making the meow sound. We both checked each other out. I was impressed and told the bird "You're beautiful, thank you for visiting me."

I then tapped the clothesline with my finger, and the cord swayed, the bird open his wings slightly, but stayed on for just a bit longer. He meowed again and then flew away.

Thank god for the Internet, I did my research and found out this little guy is called a Gray Catbird. They are known for mimicking sounds they hear around them, and use it to construct their songs. How cool is that. The meow sound is a very common call they use, and is called a mew. Click here to learn more. You can play an audio clip of the meow sound the bird makes.