Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

Today I was supposed to meet some participants in the NANPA Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge meet up.  However, no one showed up.  While I was waiting in the parking lot, my friend Mike came and what he told me was about a blue-gray gnatcatcher nest in the tree by the parking lot.  He identified it for me, and I was able to visualize it.

We walked down the dike path where there were some Canada geese with goslings along with the usual suspects of-red-winged blackbirds and tree swallows.  We saw one Marsh Wren, who was flitting low in the reads and did not present itself for a photograph.

Finally, we returned to the parking lot where we met another colleague and set up hopefully to photograph the gnatcatcher's, around the nest.  First, if you did not know there was a nest there, you would think you would just looking at a lump on a branch.  The knot catches were flitting around and also chasing chickadees and woodpeckers away from their nest.  Finally were able to photograph the gnatcatcher's coming to the nest and continuing to modify the inside of the nest.

Blue-gray gnatcatchers can build a few nests during the breeding season.  It usually will take them up to two weeks to building their nest.  The gnatcatcher's bill, their nest out of lichens and spider webs.  Both the male and the female blue-gray gnatcatcher's help with the construction of the nest.

If you visit Great Meadows National Wildlife refuge-Concord portion, the nest is on the edge of the parking lot in the trees near the observation platform.  Keep your eyes open and you can visualize the birds flying around and in the nest.

As I would say I thank my friend Mike for showing me the nest, because otherwise I would have never noticed it.