Gray Catbird Looking for Lunch?

This is my most wintry Gray Catbird photo. One of our squawkiest birds much of the year, I rarely see or hear them in the winter despite them being described as winter residents of NJ. (Of course, migration "rules" are a lot looser than we typically portray them, and it's possible that relatively few choose to winter here.)

This bird may have been eyeing those berries for its next meal. The berries and thorns make me think the berries were on a Multiflora Rose, though nearby leaves suggest the thicket contained Japanese Honeysuckle too. I've been told that berries from invasive plants tend to be less nutritious for our native animals [1], but I have to admit that the birds are probably grateful for any plentiful berries it can find in the winter. I suspect that getting enough calories is the most important thing for winter bird survival.
December 13, 2022 at Washington Valley Park
Photo 251087037, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] More precisely, I should probably say that our native species haven't evolved to take advantage of the nutrition in the berries of invasive plants.

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