Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher, November 2018, reflects color of the setting sun.
A neighbor asked, "What are those little birds up in the trees? I see movement, but they are too fast to see." I need a photo to know for sure. Could be warblers or other songbirds. Here's one it could be. A Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher. Notice the white ring around the eye and its straight bill. If you cannot see the Gnatcatcher, still and listen to its song or call. It sounds like THIS.
You can probably guess its diet. Gnats!
[Gnat-catchers] feed on a wide variety of small insects, including leafhoppers, treehoppers, plant bugs, leaf beetles, caterpillars, flies, small wasps, and many others. Also eats many spiders. - AudubonKnowing that so many songbirds depend on insects makes me glad that our community is careful with herbicides and pesticides.
Are you wondering about the "grey" part in the name? After all, that bird above appears orangish.This is a light lesson - the setting sun bathes the bird in a transforming way.
The next day in the Laurel Oak tree behind our place, I took this photo. Its blue-grey coloring is prominent.
