Sassiest Bird in the Foothills

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

I’ve loved birds since before I could talk. They’re a joy to listen to and observe, and they’ve evolved to do anything and everything you can imagine. I’ve traveled to see the ancient, flightless birds in New Zealand and the moonwalking manakins of Central and South America. One of my very favorite birds, however, nests in our foothills. Tiny with a long tail, dark eyebrows, and a sassy personality, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are only slightly larger than hummingbirds. They raise their babies in small, soft nests in our Gambel’s oak woodlands before heading back to Mexico for the fall and winter. There’s something incredibly charismatic about these miniscule acrobats. They flick and fan out their tails as they forage for winged insects, using the movement to disturb potential prey, all the while chatting away in their friendly, buzzing language. 

My favorite memory of gnatcatchers is of finding a female singing while incubating her eggs. She ignored me, singing very softly to herself and throwing imitations of goldfinch and jay into the complex medley of sounds. I was silent and still, afraid to disturb her, as her song continued. [Only about 6% of the world’s birds are able to imitate or mimic sounds! While I love hearing any bird mimicking sounds, I especially love hearing a tiny bird copying the sounds of a Red-tailed Hawk or other predator. It’s special and endearing.] After a long time, I wished her well and slipped away. 

While Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are quite bold, they need peace and quiet to raise their babies. The most important way we can help gnatcatchers and other birds is to protect undisturbed patches of habitat. Climate change threatens all birds and as summer temperatures soar, our scrub-oak woodlands become more and more important. 

Maria Goller