Kojo Baidoo
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-gray gnatcatchers are, without a doubt, one of the most special and entertaining birds the US has to offer. With a pretty sky-blue back contrasting with a paler shade of blue, along with white and black, they boast what I think is one of the more underrated color combinations when it comes to Neotropical migrants, and I’m sure they know it because they sure like to flip those tails around (kidding, that’s a foraging technique). That isn’t the only thing about them that’s underrated; males are pretty great songsters too, emitting an intricate series of what is both their own little babbles and little phrases of other species songs. I even found yesterday that they are able to mimic new vocalizations on the spot. Unfortunately, these guys have the luck of returning earlier than the warblers, and they only get two weeks of fame before what many people consider the real show falls upon our forests. That’s okay, though- they get right to pairing up and nest-building and have fledged young by the end of June, so I think they couldn’t care less about how much attention we pay to them.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Blue-gray gnatcatchers are, without a doubt, one of the most special and entertaining birds the US has to offer. With a pretty sky-blue back contrasting with a paler shade of blue, along with white and black, they boast what I think is one of the more underrated color combinations when it comes to Neotropical migrants, and I’m sure they know it because they sure like to flip those tails around (kidding, that’s a foraging technique). That isn’t the only thing about them that’s underrated; males are pretty great songsters too, emitting an intricate series of what is both their own little babbles and little phrases of other species songs. I even found yesterday that they are able to mimic new vocalizations on the spot. Unfortunately, these guys have the luck of returning earlier than the warblers, and they only get two weeks of fame before what many people consider the real show falls upon our forests. That’s okay, though- they get right to pairing up and nest-building and have fledged young by the end of June, so I think they couldn’t care less about how much attention we pay to them.