Some things just don’t seem to go together. Peanut butter and tuna fish. Flip-flops on a treadmill. And hearing a catbird when it is 25 degrees and snowing during a New England winter.

I mentioned in last week’s column that I had seen a gray catbird during a recent bird walk. I returned to the same spot several days later. This time, snow was falling all around, painting the beautiful landscape in a covering of pristine white. 

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to see the catbird again. I had even forgotten about it as I walked down that same trail. Usually by the time I reach the spot where the catbird was hunkered down days prior, I would have seen several species of birds already. In the winter, juncos, white-throated sparrows and cardinals usually make a showing by that point in the trail. On this day, with the snow coming down at a pretty good clip, only a single robin had made its presence known up to that point.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound. But something was off. I’ve heard that sound many times before on that trail but always in the spring, summer and fall. Never in winter. The timing was way off. It was the namesake mewing of a catbird coming from the thick brush. It is January, it’s freezing and snowing, and I’m listening to a catbird. The experience was all at the same time exciting, mysterious and concerning.

It was exciting because, as a birdwatcher, I am always interested in finding new and rare things. It was mysterious because catbirds are only occasionally found in New England during the winter. Why was this one here? It was concerning because catbirds typically migrate and migratory birds that try to stick out a New England winter often perish in the elements.

As I continued along the trail in the direction of the mewing, I caught a glimpse of the catbird as it hopped from one branch to another in the brush. I didn’t want to linger in the area to get a better look as I did not want to stress the bird any more than it must have been already.

Satisfied with the identification due to its call and the quick glimpse I had of it, I moved along the trail. To my surprise, about 100 yards later, another catbird jumped out of the brush and onto a more obvious perch in the brush. I snapped a quick photo or two and moved along, not wanting to stress this one out either.

Catbirds are becoming somewhat more common sightings in New England during the winter. While most catbirds migrate to Florida, Cuba or other parts of the Tropics, some remain along the East Coast from New England to the Carolinas. Available food sources, mostly berries, are a big factor in how many try to tough out the winter and forego the perils of migration. 

The mild fall and early winter likely have a lot to do with these birds remaining in the area as well. These two catbirds have plenty of food in the area of southern New England where I spotted them. Tons of leftover silky dogwood berries remain along the trail. I’ve seen robins, bluebirds, purple finches and hermit thrushes enjoying the bounty as well. 

While many things do not go together, birds and berries go hand-in-hand. It’s always a thrill when you time it just right to see birds gobbling down the berries from trees and bushes. A little luck never hurt a birdwatcher.