February 9, 2012

Lefty White...

In 2010 a special Gray Catbird took up residency in the backyard and began displaying and behaving unmistakeably male.  There are plenty of catbirds out there every year, but this guy had some white feathers on his left wing.  He was quite friendly and spent the entire summer seemingly within a 50 meter radius around the hammock.  We all get used to seeing our backyard birds, but when one becomes so easily recognizable as an individual, it multiplies the fun exponentially.  Could he really be called anything but Lefty White?

I'm not sure if he was a case of partial leucism or if maybe an old wing injury could have caused it.  I didn't see him again in 2011, though I admit to paying close attention to each and every catbird that was around, hoping to catch that glimpse of white again on one of the mewers.  I wonder what became of Lefty White - did he survive that fall's migration?  Did he get picked off by a predator because of his flashy patch?  I'll never know his fate, but it was fun to have him around while he was here.


Of all the hours I seemed to have spent in the close proximity to Lefty White that summer, this is somehow the only photographic documentation I got of him - I know, this is inexcusable.  At least he spread his wings and tail a little and made sure his dark cap was visible...


Just so you don't feel ripped off by the lack of decent bird photos in this post, here is a cool video I found online that may satisfy your need for more Whitey a la Dumetella...

5 comments:

  1. I love Catbirds. I only get to see them when we visit my wife's folks up in Pennsylvania. It must have been pretty cool to have such a special bird there. I guess, given his leucism, I would've gone with "Lefty Leucy" as a name. You never know when he'll turn up again.

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    1. LOL, Lefty Leucy - that is waaaay better, I love it! The name Lefty White always conjured images of an old timey baseball player for me anyway...

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    2. Ha! Now that you mention it that's spot on. If guess this Lefty White played one good year, making lots of appearances for the Catbirds before succumbing to injury that cut his career tragically short.

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  2. Very cool.. The video made my dog wake up and start making confused looks. Good stuff.

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    1. That's awesome, he must be ready for spring!

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