“Meow? Meow?”
I looked over my shoulder and saw my dear friend, Hector, with his neck stretched way down, nose to the ground, face-to-face with a grey catbird. My funny friend was meowing at the bird.
“What are you doing, you nut?” I don’t know why I asked. I could see clearly what Hector was doing.
“I am hoping to hear this grey catbird say meow, Bernice,” Hector answered in a whisper. He then continued to do his cat impression. “This catbird is not cooperating!” Hector whispered, exasperated, after a while of uninterrupted meowing.
“I imagine the bird was stunned speechless when he found himself face-to-face with a meowing giraffe!” I giggled. “The sound isn’t really a meow anyway. It’s more of a short, squawky, mew sound. I don’t think grey catbirds sound like cats at all, though I seem to be alone in that opinion.”
“Well, I would like to hear for myself and make up my own mind about it,” Hector huffed.
“I’ll keep my ears open and let you know if we hear one, Hector.”
“Thanks, Bernice. You’re the best.”
We resumed our walk.
Capital Giraffe - adventures of a washingtonian 
5 responses to “Meow?”
Hi, Bernice. Hector is looking very studious. I have always been confused by what grey catbirds sound like as well. Saw in my own research that catbirds are one of 35 bird species in the Mimidae family (along with mockingbirds and thrashers). Some birds in the family have the ability to mimic the calls of other birds and even the sounds of cats and other things! Guess that’s why the grey catbird is called a catbird, eh?
Hector was so close to the ground, I wonder if he saw what the grey catbird was eating. Understand they like insects and berries. Can’t say that a menu of beetles, ants, caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and millipedes does anything for me, but then I’m slightly larger than the grey catbird which is only 8-9 inches long! Thinking of food is encouraging me to go looking for a snack.
Tell Hector to join us for dinner tomorrow.
Love,
Dad
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I’ll ask Hector to dinner! Great idea!
Thanks for the comment, Dad.
I love you.
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Hello again, Bernice!
My Mommy and I just listened to a catbird (in the link you shared – thank you very much!), and I don’t think it sounds like cat meow’ing at all! I have a baby kitten I snuggle with (it’s a stuffed animal – or a “buddy” as we call them here in our house), and she doesn’t sound anything like a catbird – she says a proper “Mrow!” Animal names are so confusing sometimes, don’t you think?
Love,
E
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Thanks for the comment, E!
I love that your stuffed animal roars! Tell her I say mrrrrooooow, okay? 😉
XOXO,
Bernice
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I have heard a grey catbird since you wrote this, Bernice, and I kinda do think it sounded like a cat!
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