Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Four days into the New Year and I had yet to take a single photo. Decided to change that and ran over to Mead Garden to see if anything was interesting there. I was hoping to get the Red-headed Woodpecker in my sights but it was not to be today. There were the usual suspects around but my favorite shot of the morning was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.



A birding friend of mine calls them "Blue-gray Time Wasters" since they are so common and usually draw our attention thinking something less common is there but I find them quite charming little birds. They are also a challenge to photograph since they move so fast while feeding. I will take a shot like this anytime.

2014 photos are officially underway!

Evil Gnatcatcher

I was working away at the computer and heard a familiar sound outside. Now that it is warming up, I can open the kitchen window again and get a bit more ambiance from outside. So when I heard a Blue-grey Gnatcatcher call really loudly I knew it was right by that window.

Once I looked outside I could see two Blue-grey Gnatcatchers flying around snapping at emerging insects in the morning sun. I could actually hear their bills clicking together as they grabbed bugs from the air.

I ran out to try for a photo but knew it would be difficult as they were moving so quickly. I activated the flash and pointed where I thought they might end up at some point and managed one shot. One danged ghostly, evil looking gnatcatcher!



Several seconds later, this bird actually moved right next to me as if to see what I was doing. It landed on a branch literally 2 feet from my right elbow before moving off into the trees. In my experiences, gnatcatchers are very unconcerned about humans when they are feeding, they are that focused and probably do not see us a real threat.

An exciting quick moment in the yard.