Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

 

April 20th

          We had a little time this morning to do some birding but when we woke up the temperature was 28 degrees outside.  We took our time getting ready to go and it was a little warmer when we left home.  We made a quick stop at Wildwood Metropark which is less than a mile from our house.  We took a short walk and spotted a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher high in a tree.  A gnatcatcher is a small active woodland bird with a long tail usually seen flitting about in the treetops.  Their distinctive nasal wheezy call usually alerts you to their presence.

          Next, we went to the Sandhill Crane Wetlands and saw a variety of ducks and shorebirds including a couple of Dunlin which were transitioning into breeding plumage.  Dunlin are relatively stocky shorebirds with short legs and a slightly drooping bill.  The breeding birds have a black belly.

          On the way home, we stopped at Secor Park and finally saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet which we have been searching for.  Kinglets are tiny energetic birds that are constantly moving and flicking their wings.  They migrate through our area in April and May on the way to their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska.

(3 new species, total 162)

Dunlin

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     

                                      Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

                                      Ruby-crowned Kinglet

      

           

Comments

  1. AnnApril 21, 2022 at 5:46 AM

    Ruby-crowned kinglets are probably in lots of backyards right now.

    ReplyDelete

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