Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Arriving in the vegetable garden, it immediately got my attention. A tiny bird that I only see during breeding season. Flitting about as if quite nervous it’s a bird that makes getting a photograph very challenging. If I get any photo at all, even if it is blurry, I’m pleased. I’ve recorded the occasion.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers primarily consume insects, spiders, and caterpillars, which makes luring any that might be nearby to feeders impossible. But any of these critters that they eat in the vegetable garden are definitely appreciated. They make a squeaky, slurry, chippy sound which alerts me to look for them.

Just the beginning of breeding season and I’m thoroughly enjoying all the arrivals.

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.