I wasn’t having much luck finding birds on an early morning walk at Ashbridge’s Bay.
The exception was Kingbirds:






Then I noticed a small bird moving erratically and briskly through some middle-level tree branches:


I like my grandfather, Dr. J. Murray Speirs’, description of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in his Birds of Ontario: Everything about this restless sprite spells excitement, constantly flitting about, fanning and cocking its tail, uttering high-pitched squeals like a high soprano catbird, busily gathering lichens and spider webs to decorate its two-inch cup-shaped nest.


But do they catch gnats?
Here is the diet description from the Cornell website: All About Birds:
Adult and larval moths can provide up to half of prey taken. The smallest prey are swallowed alive. The wings are torn off larger prey and their bodies beaten on a perch prior to being eaten. Parents generally feed the young these same foods, offering progressively larger whole prey as the chicks mature.



To answer the “gnat” question:
A gnat is a loose descriptive category for any of many species of tiny flying insects (Wikipedia)
With that definition, they certainly do catch and eat gnats.
Other birds:












NATURE POETRY
Warm summer sun, Shine kindly here, Warm southern wind, Blow softly here. Green sod above, Lie light, lie light. Good night, dear heart, Good night, good night. - Mark Twain
Miles Hearn
Though I haven’t joined one of your walks I do thoroughly enjoy your Nature Walks blog – the fascinating information, the variety, your lively writing style and of course your superb photos. Thank you. I continue to learn a lot.
I’m a friend of Trudy Rising and old enough to remember your grandfather as my husband also taught in the Zoology dept at U of T.