Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

Here in Sonoma County, one of our springtime heralds is a distinctive, nasally call coming from the oak canopies: skreeee, skreeee, skreeee. If you don’t recognize it, you might think you’re hearing a cicada-like insect….or, if you’re of a certain vintage, maybe a tiny Steve Urkel in the treetops. But, no, it’s a small, very active bird making that sound, and it’s recently arrived from its Mexico wintering grounds.

Take a few moments to look up toward the call. You’ll soon spot movement; the blue-gray gnatcatcher is never still for long. All that movement is intentional. As it hops and skitters sideways along the tree’s branches, it flicks its long, white-edged tail (the tail makes up almost half of the bird’s total length!) from side to side; all this motion alarms tree-dwelling insects and spiders which attempt to move away from the bird – a fatal mistake. 😋 Blue-gray gnatcatchers will also hover or sally out from a branch to grab insects on the wing. Despite their name, however, it’s rare that gnatcatchers eat gnats. Beetles, spiders, and various small tree insects, both adults and larvae, make up the bulk of their diet.

The male and female look very much alike, but the male usually develops a prominent black brow during breeding season that his mate lacks. Note I wrote “mate,” singular. This is a seasonly monogamous species, and the pair work together to rear the next generation; they build their cup-like nest out of stolen or found spider silk and lichen and, then, after the female lays the eggs, they incubate and feed their young.

Interestingly, this may be a species benefiting from climate change. As the northern reaches of its range grow warmer, the blue-gray gnatcatcher moves in. For this species, the overall effect is beneficial, with plentiful new habitat and an increasing population. Part of its success may have to do with its aggressive behavior, which the Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes as “pugnacious.” If other bird species, including much larger ones, approach within 7 inches (18 centimeters) of their nest, the blue-gray gnatcatchers attack and drive off the unwanted visitor. Same goes for squirrels, chipmunks, and lizards. Small bird, big attitude. “Did I do that?” 🤓

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.