Gnatty Sign of Spring conk-a-reeing in the cattails. How the
gnatsters find anything to eat I'll never know, but they must. I
often hear this species before I see it. It has a high-pitched,
sibilant call that sounds more like an angry mosquito than a
territorial bird. Hearing the gnatcatcher's call I scan the
treetops, hoping for a sign of movement—these are very active
birds. But the gnatsnatcher's gray-on-gray plumage is a perfect
match to the still-leaden winter skies, and I often miss seeing
this tiny bug-eater of the treetops. Gnatcatchers ARE very
susceptible to spishing, however. And, as you can see from this
series of photos, their curiosity sometimes brings them quite
close to the spisher. Try it for yourself. I'm glad that the
gnatties come back early. Even though they don't add much color
to the woods as some later-arriving migrants do, they add sound
and activity and life, where everything else seems dormant,
still slumbering under winter's sedation.