northeast-flora-and-fauna

Here's an Eastern Phoebe I met last spring. Does the phoebe think it's hiding behind that twig? Probably not, though it's hard to get into the brain of a bird and figure out what they're thinking. Perhaps a small bird could misinterpret a small twig to be providing more protection than a human would attribute to it. Although gnats are a subset of flies , there is not really a corresponding relationship between gnatcatchers (like the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ) and the tyrant flycatchers (like the Eastern Phoebe) [1]. And their names are both somewhat misleading, with gnatcatchers and many flycatchers being general-purpose insectivores rather than gnat and fly specialists. May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278557410, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] Though gnatcatchers and flycatchers both passerines , so are crows, sparrows, warblers, and many more.

It's surprising sometimes how much time you can spend getting a fairly mediocre picture. I 1st noticed this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - or its mate - while helping out at a Duke Farms program for schoolkids, though I believe this picture was taken a couple days later when I had more time to loiter around waiting for a photo opportunity. I didn't see 2 birds around at the same time, though: Branches and foliage provided only quick looks as the bird(s) returned to the nest. These are pretty small birds. They're only slightly sexually dimorphic, so distinguishing a male from a female is pretty hard. I'm unsure if I was seeing 1 or 2 birds. The weather in early May was frequently cool in the mornings but was frequently warm in the afternoons. I'm not sure the eggs need someone tending them continuously during this weather. I didn't hear little birds begging for food, and it looked like the nest was complete, so my best guess is that the adult would look for something t...