This is bird noir. I'm Private Eye, Michael Stein.

When you're a bird detective, things aren't always what they seem.

Take this calling out the other day from an up-and-coming gum shoe named Ollie.

A gray cat bird, you say?

He thought he'd heard his first gray catbird, a species that yowls like a cat.

But I didn't get a good look, so I'm not totally sure.

I think the cat bird was laying low in a shrub at the edge of a field.

Didn't get eyeballs on the bird, huh? That's all right. But are you sure this wasn't a real cat meowing from a bush.

Yeah!

Heh!

This ain't no cat.

Otherwise, he'd have tried to steal my tuna sandwich.

Well, my only suggestion is to hang tough and be patient.

There's another bird that sounds a little like a cat, comes down around sunset.

Maybe check back around that time. Holy prairie chickens, Michael, I'm glad I went back.

I just saw a short eard owl, swoop by and make the cat noise I heard earlier.

Pewh,

Pewh,

waiting things out and gathering all the clues helped Ollie crack this case.

For more bird mysteries go to our website birdnote.org. I'm Michael Stein, private eye. you're