On one of my birding stops today a bird caught my eye flying to a branch but then didn’t move on. As I took a better look it was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and it was bringing in lichens to use in the construction of a nest. Two birds took turns hauling the lichen to the nest and tucking it in place to build the nest. They would also be in the nest moving around some rounding it out too. I’ll have to check back on this nest in the future.It was a mild day with light winds, sunny skies and temps around 65 degrees. Images were taken on May 6, 2025
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher with lichen in the bill working it into the started nest…
Here the bird is rounding out the nest…
Rounding out the nest…
The pair…
Thanks for these. The first nest building I observed for the Breeding Bird Atlas 2 was this species. I could see them snuggling down to make the nest the right size and shape, but I couldn’t see them working things into their nest. Your photos bring a smile to my lips at these memories.
Great shots Jim!
Outstanding
Aren’t they precious! Great shots Jim!
I’ve heard that their nests are quite flimsy. I hope this one holds up!