Gnatcatchin’

Just think sometime of how many birds there are that non-birders never see. Everybody notices Snow Geese and flamingos, but it takes a specialized eye–and a specialized ear–to pick up on the presence of many of the most charming birds in the neighborhood.

This Black-tailed Gnatcatcher was buzzing his way through the palo verdes outside my workroom window on a warm day last week.

It’s a common enough bird in Tucson’s scrubby suburbs, but one that is rarely noticed–and if so, then dismissed as a Verdin or a hummingbird, I’d guess.

I have yet to discover a gnatcatcher nest in our yard, but everytime I see one of these voracious little guys, I hope.