BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS
ARRIVED
During the winter dry season the most common
bird species out in the scrub is definitely the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Sometimes so many
buzzy TZEEEER sounds come from around you that it's funny.
Gnatcatchers have been absent here the last few months. That's kind of surprising
because the distribution map in my "Howell's" -- as birders refer to the
two-inch-thick tome that's the last word on Mexican birds -- shows the species as a
permanent resident here. Plus the similar Black-tailed Gnatcatcher also is a permanent
resident. Still, I haven't seen a single one of either species all "summer."
In all but the cooler parts of North America Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are common though
many birders who just watch species in their backyards may not know them. Gnatcatchers
like treetops, plus they have small, slender beaks for catching insects, so they don't
find birdfeeders holding seeds so attractive. You can see nice pictures of Blue-gray
Gnatcatchers at http://www.1000birds.com/latest20050502BGG.htm.
Despite their being so abundant here, it's always a pleasure hearing their buzzes among
the Sweet Acacias, and seeing their long tails flitting through the trees' frilly, diffuse
leaves. |