Category Archives: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Smallest of birds lead the spring migration charge

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • Welcoming back hummingbirds also involves making sure that they remain healthy and safe while spending the next six months in our yards and gardens. Readers are also invited to share the time and date of their first spring hummingbird arrivals.

 

We’ve reached the middle of March. Some of our favorite birds are on their way back to spend the warmer months with us. I’ve always been impressed that our smallest birds — ruby-throated hummingbird, blue-grey gnatcatcher and ruby-crowned kinglets — lead the charge in returning to the region after an absence of several months.

Of course, a few larger birds also tend to arrive early. The most prominent of these is probably the broad-winged hawk. These medium-sized raptors usually arrive in late March and early April.

But it’s the noisy and bold brigade of tiny birds that will capture our attention. By the end of March, the blue-grey gnatcatcher will be back, buzzing its zee-zee notes as it flits about branches budding with new green leaves. These tiny birds seem to time their arrival to coincide with the emergence of some of the first greenery of the season.

In the first days of April, ruby-throated hummingbirds will return, checking to see whether the feeders or a stand of early spring flowers are still in place.

Ruby-crowned kinglets, which make a similar passage in the fall, will transit through the region again in the spring as they make their way north to breeding grounds in spruce-fir forests in the northern regions of the United States and Canada.

These are not the only small “early birds.” Some other pint-sized songbirds that arrive in early spring include Louisiana waterthrush and yellow-throated warbler.

There are 17 species of gnatcatchers. Most of these species reside in Central and South America. Some of the other species found in North America include California gnatcatcher and black-capped gnatcatcher.

Kinglets are very active birds. If warblers can be described as energetic, the kinglets are downright frenetic in their activities. The kinglets almost never pause for long, flitting from branch to branch in trees and shrubs as they constantly flick their wings over their backs. These bursts of hyperactivity can make them difficult to observe. Although small in size, these birds more than compensate for it with a feisty spirit that does them well through the harsh winter months.

Gnatcatchers are also constantly on the move, flicking their tails and darting through the branches of trees just starting to put out new green leaves. They glean caterpillars and small insects from the undersides of leaves to help fuel a demanding metabolism.

Photo Courtesy of Jean Potter • Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are tiny, energetic bundles of feathers.

Kinglets and gnatcatchers often join mixed flocks comprised of other species of birds, some of which are regular feeder visitors. Perhaps by observing their flock counterparts, some kinglets have learned to accept feeder fare such as suet, meal worms and chopped nuts. Away from feeders, kinglets mostly feed on a range of small insects and arachnids. Gnatcatchers are strictly eaters of insects, but while a feeder holds no attraction for them, their curious nature often makes these tiny birds quite approachable.

Normally, kinglets have a rather fleeting lifespan. They pay a price for their frantic, fast-paced lifestyles and can be considered old if they live three or four years. There are always exceptions. The oldest golden-crowned kinglet on record was six years and four months old. That individual, a male, was documented by a bird bander in 1976, according to the website All About Birds.

Likewise, gnatcatchers live brief lives. The oldest known blue-gray gnatcatcher was a male, and at least four years, two months old, when it was recaptured at a banding station in Pennsylvania and rereleased, according to the All About Birds website.

Of course, the smallest of the small is the ruby-throated hummingbird, which is officially the most diminutive of all birds found in the Eastern United States. This hummingbird is only 2.8 to 3.5 inches in length and weighs less than half an ounce.

The oldest known ruby-throated hummingbird, according to All About Birds, was a female, and at least 9 years, 2 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased in 2014 during banding operations in West Virginia.

The effort these tiny birds expend to return each year to entertain us during the warmer months is nothing short of extraordinary.

Information on the website for Perky Pet, which markets hummingbird feeders and other items for birds, describes the stages of spring migration. Once they respond to the urge to head north, most ruby-throated hummingbirds have reached Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by February.

The jungles of the Yucatan are rich with food and these tiny birds begin to feast on insects as they prepare for one of the toughest migrations for any bird. The majority of these hummingbirds will make a nonstop crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. This epic journey can take them 18 to 22 hours to complete. Some individuals cross the Gulf as early as February, but most of these little birds will wait to cross in March. A month or so later, the first wave of these migrants have usually reached Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina.

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As always, I like to track the arrival dates of ruby-throated hummingbirds and appreciate readers sharing this information with me every spring. To share your first hummingbird sighting of spring, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. Please provide the date and time of the bird’s arrival. Other details, such as whether the bird is a male or female, is also appreciated.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds and birding since 1995. Contact him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Region’s ‘blue’ birds stand out from feathered kin

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Photo by Doug Alspaugh/Pixabay • A male blue grosbeak can be distinguished from the similar but smaller male indigo bunting thanks to a large, heavy beak and chestnut striping on the wings.

A male indigo bunting, after a late spring arrival, has taken to signing most persistently from the tops of some of the tallest trees in my yard and at the edges of some of the surrounding fields.

When I refer to the indigo bunting singing, I am being generous. The bird’s song is a jumble of one-syllable chip notes delivered in machine-gun fashion, over and over, usually from elevated perches. It’s not musical, but it is certainly recognizable and admirable in the sheer persistence of the male’s delivery. 

One of my earliest memories of a songbird involves sightings of these electric blue birds on hot summer afternoons in my childhood. I didn’t know the identity of the bird at that time, but the image of that feathered beauty has stuck with me. 

The indigo bunting belongs to a genus of birds known as Passerina that is wedged into the family Cardinalidae, which includes birds like Northern cardinal and rose-breasted grosbeak. They are often lumped into a group known as North American buntings, although they are not closely related to such birds as snow bunting and lark bunting. The latter is even recognized as the official state bird for Colorado, a unique honor for this group of birds. 

The other members of the Passerina genus include lazuli bunting, varied bunting, painted bunting, rose-bellied bunting, orange-breasted bunting and blue grosbeak.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The male indigo bunting is a resplendent bird.

It’s the blue grosbeak that has always interested me, although I see them infrequently. I’ve had blue grosbeaks only visit my home feeders on a couple of occasions in the 30 years I’ve been watching birds and keeping records of my sightings.

Birds sporting entirely blue plumages are decidedly rare. In fact, the indigo bunting and blue grosbeak are the only contenders in the region. I don’t count blue jay, Eastern bluebirds or belted kingfishers because all of these species have white or other colors featured prominently among their blue feathers.

A couple of warblers — cerulean warbler and black-throated blue warblers — feature significant amounts of blue feathers, but it’s not a uniform blue.

A glimpse of a blue blur as an indigo bunting or blue grosbeaks flies across a field, pasture or meadow will reward the onlooker with a look at one of these pretty birds. 

The website All About Birds reports that blue grosbeaks have been expanding their range northward for the past century. The website also describes this bird as widespread but uncommon, which in my experience also applies to the status of the blue grosbeak in northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina and southwest Virginia. 

The blue grosbeak is picky about choosing a habitat. These birds prefer old fields choked with vine tangles and some shrubs, but they can also get comfortable in such habitats as mesquite savannas, salt cedar forests, and southern pine forests. Most evidence, according to All About Birds, points to a slight increase in the overall numbers of this bird in the past few decades.

Both indigo buntings and blue grosbeaks will visit feeders, which is probably the most reliable way to attract these birds. Black oil sunflower or other small seeds, such as millet or thistle, are suitable for both species.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A male Eastern bluebird perched on playground equipment at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City. Male and female Eastern bluebirds are not uniformly blue. Their plumage also includes white and rusty-red feathers.

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Beth Payne sent me an email about hummingbirds, or the lack thereof, at her home in central Alabama. 

Beth noted that she used to see many hummingbirds but now sees only one at her feeders. As an avid hummingbird fan, this decline has dismayed her.

She also shared that she knew the late Bob Sargent. With his wife, Martha, With his wife, Martha, Sargent was the co-founder of the The Hummer/Bird Study Group. This non-profit organization founded by the Sargents was based in their hometown of Clay, Alabama. They dedicated the group to the study and preservation of hummingbirds and other neotropical migrants.

When I responded, I told Beth how happy I was that she had known Bob Sargent. I was also pleased to meet another hummingbird fan.

Although I can’t speak specifically to Alabama, I have noticed that I’m not hosting many hummingbirds this spring at my now home. That being said, I am not sure there’s any rhyme or reason to explain the numbers of hummingbirds that will decide to call a certain yard or garden their summer home.

I did offer some suggestions. Hummingbirds, even those that come to feeders, appreciate a nice perch for resting. I asked Beth if she has any shrubs or trees near her feeders. 

If  feasible, I advised she plant some flowers that would be attractive to hummingbirds. I recommended that she check with a nursery or garden center for ideas on blooming plants that grow best in her area.

Many of the birds that people would see early in Alabama are going to be pushing to get farther north to Tennessee and even far beyond to New England and even Canada. 

One thing that almost invariably happens is that by June and early July, hummingbird numbers usually pick back up. Of course, that will to a degree depend on how many hummingbirds stay in the surrounding area for the nesting season.

To share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.