Tag Archives: blue gray gnatcatcher

Backyard Birding

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers in NC

By Sally Siko

A sure sign that spring is here is marked by the arrival of the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.
I spotted several this morning while birding near my home in central North Carolina.
Happily these little guys were super curious about my presence in the woods so they kept flying in close to get a look at me. Normally Gnatcatchers are kinda hard to photograph since they tend to zip around at a zillion miles per hour but not these two lol!
Both birds actually moved through the brush at a slower than usual pace often pausing to eyeball an insect or to inspect their surroundings which led to some excellent photo opportunities for me. 🙂



Among the smallest birds in North America, only measuring around 4.5 inches (11 cm) in length.
What they lack in size they make up for tenfold in energy! They are highly active birds, constantly flitting about in search of insects to eat. Gnatcatchers are known for their agility and can even hover briefly while catching insects in mid-air.
Again, despite their pint size, they’ve got a surprisingly loud and complex song too which makes them easy to locate in the field. Their vocalizations include a series of high-pitched, nasal notes often described as sounding like “spee-spee-spee.”


The Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are just now making their way up the east coast of the United States heading north for their breeding season ahead.
They are found throughout all 100 counties of North Carolina, and will stick around the Tarheel state through mid October.
Be in the lookout for them this summer and enjoy every second with them!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

The Blue gray Gnatcatchers have arrived in the Carolinas

By Sally Siko

Here’s my first of the spring season Blue-gray Gnatcatcher for 2023 🙂
Seeing one of these tiny guys appear each March is a happy reminder that soon the trees, bushes and skies will be filled with migrating birds.
Usually this species moves through the canopies of the trees like hyperactive ping pong balls. I was pleased to be able to capture a few photos of this Gnatcatcher perched in one spot.



These little birds have a good reason to stay on the move as Blue-gray Gnatcatchers dine primarily on fast flying insects which are made all the more scarce during the winter.
Combine that with a super speedy metabolism and you’ve got a bird who absolutely, positively, cannot and will not sit still.They are agile flyers and are perfectly capable of snatching a small insect right out of midair. *Weirdly enough though, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers rarely eats gnats which is kinda odd.



Though they are relatively easy to find across the state during the summer months, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are a year round resident of the Carolinas.Once the temperatures drop, they tend to head east into our far southern coastal areas to spend the winter where the six or eight legged food choices remain available.

These lovely little ones will become more abundant throughout the rest of the Carolinas over the the next few weeks and will stick around until September. The best spots to find Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are in habitats containing a mix of deciduous forests and wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers.They are particularly active in the morning hours as they need to make up for the loss of calories spent while sleeping by hunting for insects as soon as the sun rises.

Photos and video by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher encounter at Greenfield Lake in Wilmington North Carolina

She the color slate
She look irate
But most important
She done a levitate
😉



Check out this gravity defying Blue-gray Gnatcatcher I photographed yesterday morning while birding at Greenfield Lake in Wilmington NC.
This tiny bird was moving so quickly that it was difficult to even get my lens on her as she flitted through the grass.
In the end I think I took about 20 shots before coming away with just these two images which when it comes to photographing speedy Gnatcatchers is actually pretty good haha!

These little birds have a good reason to stay on the move as Blue-gray Gnatcatchers dine primarily on fast flying insects which are made all the more scarce during the winter.
They are agile flyers and are perfectly capable of snatching a small insect right out of midair.
Weirdly enough though, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers rarely eats gnats which is kinda odd.



Though they are locally more abundant across the state during the summer months, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are a year round resident of North Carolina.
Once the temperatures drop, they tend to head east into our far southern coastal areas to spend the winter where the six or eight legged food choices remain abundant.
From October through April look for them broadleaf evergreen trees, such as those found in maritime forests, or mixed-pine hardwood forests.
Isn’t she lovely?

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert

Blue gray Gnatcatchers at Bass lake Park in Holly Springs North Carolina

In my opinion, one of the most difficult birds to photograph in North Carolina are the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. It’s not that they’re particularly uncommon during the spring(quite the opposite actually), it’s just that they are small and constantly on the move.
In fact, these tiny birds hardly ever sit still so I’m always grateful to catch a proper look at one at rest, even if it’s nothing more than a second or two.



Although they will hunt for all kinds of insects they don’t actually eat many gnats (unfortunately, lol!) as their name implies.
In fact, their favorite food are spiders and lucky for them we’ve got plenty of those here in the Tarheel state for them to find.
As seen in these photos, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers will glean for arachnids in the mid to upper canopies of trees, raids insects from spiderwebs, and are even known to use their webs as nesting material.




These lovely little ones arrive in late March and stick around until September. The best spots to find Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are in habitats containing a mix of deciduous forests and wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers.
They are particularly active in the morning hours as they need to make up for the loss of calories spent while sleeping by hunting for insects as soon as the sun rises.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the badassssss full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, Instagram Birding, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: The ping pong ball bird of Holly Springs

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On a recent trip to Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs, N.C., I found a tiny Blue-grey Gnatcatcher hopping in the branches of the brush along the path. He moved quickly, stopping every few moments to inspect the area for prey. Best described as a hyperactive ping pong ball, this photo was one of a few seconds where this little bird sat still. On an never ending search for spiders and insects, Blue-grey Gnatcatchers can be found foraging in wooded areas across their breeding territory’s in the eastern U.S. Most of their nesting locations are found near water sources like streams, rivers, lakes like this one here in Holly Springs. The nest of a Blue-grey Gnatcatcher is commonly built 2-25 feet above the ground in a tree. Their cup-shaped nests are built by both adults out of lichen, spider webs, and plant materials. Females lay between 4-5 eggs which both adults will take turns incubating for around 13 days. Both parents will care for the nestlings and the young ones will fledge 10-12 days after they hatch. Swipe on to the next few photos to see a fluffy little fledgling Gnatcatcher! Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa #5Ds

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Instagram Birding, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Quality time with a blue-Grey Gnatcatcher at Bass Lake Park

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While birding at Bass Lake Park yesterday, I found a cute little Blue-gray Gnatcatcher flitting among the leaves. Gnatcatchers are so darn quick, always on the move and a bit difficult to photograph as they constantly fly in and out of the shadows. Today was lucky though because of the cloudy skies which meant no harsh lighting to contend with so capturing this beautiful little bird with my camera was easier than normal. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is quite common in the central North Carolina region. They are found in mixed and deciduous forests from late April into early September. Believe it or not, many people have them nesting in their yard without realizing that they are there! Because of their diminutive size and hyperactive nature, they are hard to see. To find them, listen for their distinctive “cheee-cheee-cheee” calls coming from the lower to mid canopies of trees and shrubs. Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc Canon 5Ds . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #birdwatchers #bird #birds #basslakepark #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #ncoutdoors #ncnature #bluegraygnatcatcher #ncwildlifephotographer #northcarolinabirding #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds #audubonsociety #birdoftheday #audubonnc #bestbirds #birders #birder #birdwatchers #birdfreaks #canonusa #yourshotphotographer

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Birdwatching News, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

The Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have arrived in N.C.

By: Sally Siko, Admin-Birdwatching NC

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Made a quick trip back to Harris Lake Park yesterday afternoon with my daughter to get some fresh air.
We took a path through the woods down by the shoreline of the lake. Stopping for a few minutes to enjoy the view, we heard some peeping from the canopy above.
Looking up, I spotted 5 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers making a fuss right over our heads.
I was happy to see them as they were my first sighting of Gnatcatchers in 2020.
Nice to see them again!

The habitat we were standing in was perfect for Gnatcatchers as they are common in wet, deciduous woods and thickets.
It was unusual to see 5 at once though because they are generally solitary birds.
It was neat to watch them so close by as they moved briskly through the lower- to middle-level twigs, searching for meals of small insects, insect eggs and larvae, and spiders.
The neat thing was that these little guys were not afraid of us in the least, coming right up to us many times throughout the encounter!
We enjoyed their antics for about 10 minutes before having to head back to the parking lot.
Such a nice way to cap off an afternoon at Harris Lake.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

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Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher at Jordan lake

On my way down the path to my parked car at Jordan Lake in New Hill NC, I spotted a couple of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flying erratically into the branch of an Oak tree.
Upon closer inspection with my zoom lens, there appeared a young one among the leaves who was receiving bug snacks from mom and dad.
He hardly made a peep and I might have missed him but for the fact that he fluffed out his feathers so quickly, that the brief movement caught my eye.
🌿
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are carnivores and they always seem to on the hunt for tasty bugs.
Their diet is based on insects, spiders (nice!) and small invertebrates, yet, despite its name, the Blue-gray gnatcatcher rarely eats gnats!
I think maybe they should be renamed to “Blue-gray Nopecatchers” lol!

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5DS