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