Tag Archives: Perching Bird

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers Nesting

April 23, 2025 Ellen Jennings 3 Comments

A pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are making a nest in a Crepe Myrtle in our back yard.

They have been gathering material for a few days and this morning I spotted the nest. Here one of the pair was smoothing around the outside of the bowl shaped nest.

Much of the viewable material appears to be lichen or small pieces of dried leaf.

The pair worked cooperatively when they arrived back at the nest at the same time, one handing off material to the other to work into the structure.

Summerville, SC
April 23, 2025

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Perching Birds

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

April 2, 2024 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

A zippy bird, this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was poking all around the trail-side vegetation.

He took a quick pause out in the open.

Presumably he was hunting for his lunch but I didn’t see him have any success.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
March 26, 2024

Perching Birds

Rusty Blackbird at Stream Edge

October 29, 2022 Ellen Jennings 6 Comments

This Rusty Blackbird blended into the background but as he twisted around poking in the stream his understated color scheme showed off a bit. A nearby maple tree had dropped a few turned leaves for a hint of color in the scene.

Rusty Blackbird Peeking in Blackman Stream

ID by Merlin Bird ID app

Bradley, ME
October 1, 2022

Songbirds

Palm Warbler, Maine

October 15, 2022 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

On my recent trip to Maine I was amazed to witness some warbler migration. I grew up near where these were taken and don’t remember ever seeing anything like the hundreds of birds I saw in the vicinity including a variety of warblers and finches.

The mowed lawn seen above was backed by a field of “weeds” that were bursting with all sorts of seeds and flying insects–a song bird buffet.

I had not taken my long lens on this trip and could not get close enough to most of them with the 18-200mm; this one fellow seemed a bit more curious.

This particular bird is much more colorful than the Palm Warbler I had photographed a few days before in Charleston, SC.

ID by Cornell Lab’s Merlin App

Penobscot County, Maine
September 16, 2022

Songbirds

Palm Warbler

October 14, 2022 Ellen Jennings 1 Comment

I had seen this Palm Warbler skittering ahead of me down the trail and given up hope of photographing it in the thick underbrush. Then he landed in this dead tree.

He looked around…

Staying put for about 3 seconds in the spread leg position…

Then he was off…

The last I saw of him before he flew back into the undergrowth.

ID by Cornell Lab’s Merlin App

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
September 16, 2022

Perching Birds

Rusty Blackbird

January 28, 2022 Ellen Jennings 7 Comments

A new bird to me, I spotted a pair of Rusty Blackbirds foraging at the edges of a swamp.

After a short pause out in the open this one went back to exploring the mud.

They eat insects or seeds, so about anything in this little pool would be a good snack.

Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
December 23, 2021

Songbirds

Palm Warbler, Curious

December 8, 2021 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

A Palm Warbler was doing his thing in the lower vegetation at the side of a swamp.

As you may know, warblers of all sorts are speedy and are mostly photographed exiting the spot you noticed him. Fortunately for me, this one’s curiosity slowed him down.