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02/04/12
“Gnothing” but Gnatcatchers
Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Birding "Patches", Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 1:42 pm

This week we have spent a lot of time watching the local Bald Eagle nest. A 19 day old eaglet finally peeked over the rim on February 2.

Bald Eaglet first image 20120202

Birding in mid-winter here in South Florida, we face some distractions. Small birds have so many places to hide, as most of our trees are evergreen. Even the deciduous trees such as maples not only hang on to their old leaves, but new leaves start growing in January. Cypress trees gracefully turn from green to yellow to golden and brown, perhaps going “bald” for part of a month before putting out new greenery.

Then there is the wind. On a still morning, it is easy to discern the tremble of leaf or twig, signaling the presence of a reclusive vireo or warbler. As the sea breeze builds, it scrambles the input to the rods in our corneas that normally alert us so efficiently to the slightest peripheral movement. Bazillions of fluttering butterflies vie for our attention.

Certain “non-target” species can also be distracting when I’m hoping to see Orange-crowned Warblers and Black-whiskered Vireos. Noisy Gray Catbirds and tail-wagging Palm Warblers abound all winter, and mockingbirds rattle around in the bushes. The antics of a flock of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers can keep you busy trying to separate them from warblers. Of course, just as is the case with chickadees up north, the gnatcatchers can keep very interesting company, so it is best to look at each one to rule out the 1% that is something more “interesting.”

Note that I avoided the harsh term of “trash birds,” sometimes used in an offhand manner by birders when they only see common species. I have written before about finding “Beauty in the Commonplace” as well as in some real “Trash Birds,” notably the exotic Sacred Ibis and the Purple Swamphen, both of which have been deemed a threat to native avifauna and have been subjects of eradication campaigns (dismally unsuccessful in the case of the swamphen).

One recent morning when a small flock of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flew into the Trema tree where I was hoping to see something more “unusual.” I realized that I rarely get very good images of them. I don’t know how to make them stand still, and these birds were very active. Yet, despite their perpetual motion, they generally stayed in sight. The light was perfect.  I focused my full attention on these little sprites, even ignoring the calls of nearby towhees and a White-eyed Vireo, and took over 50 photos. My trouble now is that I cannot bear discarding most of my shots. So I hope you can put up with an overdose of gnatcatchers.

This one stared at me quizzically…

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 20120125

…and came in for a better look.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3-20120125

Another climbed up a twig…

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7-20120125

…and then treated me to a high dive.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8-20120125

I was delighted to catch a few flight shots, usually quite by accident.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in flight 2-20120125

This was my favorite flight shot, taken a couple of years back.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila_caerulea)

Two years ago, a gnatcatcher landed momentarily on a clump of invasive exotic Brazilian Peppers, providing me with my all-time luckiest image.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 20100108

Well, I did finally break away from the gnatcatchers, or more correctly, they moved on as is their habit, and I started paying attention to my surroundings. This female Northern Cardinal gave me a red-on-red experience.

Northern Cardinal female 3-20120130

A Loggerhead Shrike called from a high perch.

Loggerhead Shrike 20120127

At the site of our local rookery, an immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (most easily distinguished from the Black-crowned by its short and plump bill) had returned along with a more elusive adult,

 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron immature 20120127

A bright male Prairie Warbler hid in the berries at nearby Chapel Trail Nature Preserve, …

Prairie Warbler male 3-20120128

…and then came out into the open.

 Prairie Warbler male 20120128

Back at home, a Mourning Dove rested on a neighbor’s lawn…

Mourning Dove 20120127

…and a Wood Stork showed off its bubble-gum pink feet at the edge of our back yard.

Wood Stork 20120130

14 Responses to ““Gnothing” but Gnatcatchers”

  1. Sallie (FullTime-Life) Says:
    February 6th, 2012 at 6:40 pm Wonderful pictures — that quizzical gnat-catcher is adorable. You have a terrific lot of birds there — thanks for sharing.
  2. Sallie (FullTime-Life) Says:
    February 6th, 2012 at 6:41 pm PS: And also I love the wordplay in your post title.
  3. Kathy H Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 8:02 am Another excellent post. Your photos are wonderful. The gnatcatchers are terribly perky, aren’t they. Very nice photo captures of them. I love the Wood Stork and the Prairie Warbler - no words….this is a bird I have yet to add to my life list. I must go birding in South Florida one of these Winters.
  4. Boom & Gary Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 3:14 pm Great series!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
  5. Andrew Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 3:57 pm Wonderful images of your beautiful little birds..
  6. Eileen Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 4:39 pm Ken, wonderful series of birds and photos. Starting with the cute eaglet and the gnatcatcher is a pretty bird. And I love the Prairie Warbler. Thanks for sharing, have a great day!
  7. Mick Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 6:11 pm The little Gnatcatchers are beautiful. A great series of photos. I went and read you post about true “trash” birds - don’t know why we humans keep thinking we should move creatures around - introduced species create so many problems!
  8. Wanda Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 7:26 pm What a fantastic collection of birds! The Gnatchatchers are soooo sweet. Thank you for sharing them.
  9. TexWisGirl Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 9:41 pm the gnatcatchers are adorable, but you’ve got great shots all through this post! :)
  10. springman Says:
    February 7th, 2012 at 10:26 pm Another great series Ken. The gnatcatchers are a great subject. You really caught some marvelous poses. The Brazilian pepper is a great prop. If you have to have an invasive species, might as well make it beautiful. The birds seem to like it as well. The Prairie warbler is a knock out and of course, congratulations on the new eaglet. What a show!
  11. Carole M. Says:
    February 8th, 2012 at 1:23 am some really special photographs there in flight, excellent and such a beautiful array of birds too
  12. heyBJK Says:
    February 8th, 2012 at 3:15 am Fantastic shots of the Vireo, Ken! I love the dive shot. That’s great! The dove and Wood Stork photos are gorgeous!
  13. holdingmoments Says:
    February 8th, 2012 at 7:43 am Excellent set Ken. I love those of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
  14. Pat Says:
    February 10th, 2012 at 2:24 pm Marvelous photos. I love the Wood Stork!

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