Both woodlands were populated with gray catbirds whose songs and calls were hard to miss. Their name comes from their signature call that sounds like the meow of a cat.
If one ever needed a reason to go birding, Global Big Day offers just that. Taking place on World Migratory Bird Day on May 13 this year, birders all over the world kept their eyes and ears alert for any bird they encountered. I was one of those birders.
In the early morning, as fog faded away, I walked through a woodland briming with the sounds of birds. American robins and Carolina wrens sang their vibrant melodies. White-breasted nuthatches called their soft purps as they crawled on tree trunks. The piercing squawk of a blue jay sounded. Red-bellied woodpeckers called their raspy trill and contributed some drumming as well. The roll they played with their beak on a hollow branch echoed throughout the woodland. Leaf litter rustled under the footfall of an otherwise quiet Swainson’s thrush. The gray catbird pulled out all the stops, singing an eclectic mixture of warbles, trills, and its infamous meow.
In another woodland, as the day brightened but remained overcast, spots of surprising color flashed in the green setting where young leaves continued to unfurl. An indigo bunting perched at the very top of a dead tree and whistled clear notes. Northern cardinals flew among the trees. A pair of scarlet tanagers darted past my head as a blur of red (the male) and green (the female). A blackburnian warbler, wearing dashing black and white markings accented by bright orange on its face and throat, fluttered high in the treetops. In the lower foliage, an American redstart hopped behind leaves that matched its own size, seldom revealing a clear account of its own arrangement of orange, black, and white plumage, where the orange existed as patches on black feathers on the upper body and white colored the abdomen. A rose-breasted grosbeak, wearing its reddish scarf over its black and white tuxedo, suddenly appeared and disappeared.
The rose-breasted grosbeak made a brief appearance. This was the case for many birds in the woods, where plenty of leaves and branches provided plenty of places to hide.
The pond that I visited in the afternoon was a change of pace. A pair of great egrets stood poised along the cattails lining the water’s edges while tree swallows glided effortlessly above the water in pursuit of insects on the wing. Red-winged blackbirds dotted the tops of reeds and trees, flaring their red shoulders as they belted their tunes. In a nearby field two sandhill cranes lowered their heads to the ground to feed. Ambling in the same field were rock doves. A red-headed woodpecker collected stringy plant material, which was then carried to a wooden utility pole for a work-in-progress nest.
While I was out birding, it was impossible not to notice the non-avian wildlife who were just as active. Butterflies, bumblebees, and dragonflies regularly flew past me. Tree frogs, spring peepers, and American toads were singing just as much as the birds. In impressive numbers, painted turtles lined logs that rested on or above the water at the pond. An eastern cottontail ran for cover within dense shrubbery. Seeing and hearing everyone going about their lives made these visits even more enriching.
After spending several hours birding, I switched gears for the evening and attended the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival keynote. It was presented by Jennifer Ackerman, author of books such as The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way. Attending the keynote was the cherry on top of a day dedicated to birds. I brought along my copy of The Genius of Birds, and it was signed by the author herself.
Global Big Day is pretty much a major holiday for birders, and festivities are partaken in any way that suits those doing the celebrating. Any length of time spent observing birds, from minutes to hours, is encouraged. Uploading sightings onto ebird.org is also encouraged but not a requirement. Even if one does not actively seek out birds, it is nice to have birds on the mind, contemplating some of the most successful and at-risk beings with whom we share this earth.