Casual birders and even non-birders are generally familiar with the common avian residents in suburbs and woodlands. Robins, cardinals, chickadees and blue jays are excellent examples.
But some permanent or seasons residents, while common and widespread, are uncommonly observed; even veteran birders may enjoy encountering them. Blue-gray gnatcatchers are just such a bird; these tiny insectivores often remain high in the trees and, were it not for their distinctive calls, might go unnoticed altogether. They are also very active, flitting among the branches to snare insects; as a result, like many warblers, they can be difficult to identify. Indeed, I suspect most suburbanites have never heard of this species.
Nevertheless, these attractive gnatcatchers summer across the southern 2/3 of the U.S., absent only in areas of the High Plains where few trees are present. By early autumn, they head for Florida, the Gulf Coast, the Desert Southwest and Mexico. This afternoon, a lone blue-gray gnatcatcher visited the trees along our back deck; I may not see another for a week or more.
