Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Building a Nest!

When I was a small boy growing up in suburban Munroe Falls, Ohio, a pair of Robins built nests and raised young under my parent's deck for several years. I remember peering down through the cracks between the boards in our deck into the nest, only six inches below. I literally had a birds eye view of the nest building, incubation, hatching, and growth of the young chicks. I had not really thought of bird nests much since then, but yesterday, those memories came back to me as I watched a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher building a nest in Kenney Park.

I looked up and saw a gnatcather preening above me. It started to make a "peent" sound repetitively, and I wondered what was going on. I captured about 30 images of the bird, and finally, noticed a little more action higher up in the tree. Another gnatcather was building in its nest in the crotch of the box-elder about 15 feet off the ground. The cup shaped nest appeared to be constructed of lichens of all things. Wouldn't be great if I only had a deck from which to peer into this nest? Alas, I do not, but here is a photo I managed to capture of this very cool little bird bringing some material to finish off its nest.

 

Tom