This is a blue-gray gnatcatcher. And here’s a recording of his call notes: There’s a robin singing in the background; the gnatcatcher’s vocalizations are the worried-sounding scolds. So he’s not the fanciest or most attention-getting bird around. He weighs around 6 grams, hangs out in treetops, moving constantly, and can’t sing worth a damn (from a biased, robin-centric standpoint), but he’s actually a fairly common bird. Once you tune in to his vocalizations, you start to notice gnatcatchers all around, especially in wet woods. Since this spring’s migration started in earnest a couple of weeks ago, I scarcely remember a walk we’ve taken when I haven’t heard at least one gnatcatcher. The problem is that, until recently, I had no…
Tagged: bird, Blue Hills Reservation, Blue-gray gnatcatcher, breeding, Fowl Meadow, lichen, nest, spring