(This is not my image. Taken from Merlin.)
I recently started backyard birding and had a new bird come to my feeder a short while ago. I only got a few seconds to try and identify it but here’s what I was able to gather:
- white ring around the eyes
- white throat
- brown chest
- long dark tail
- multi colored pleated wings with black, white, and grey
This information is leading me to believe I saw a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, but when I found it on Merlin I did not see any brown that I saw on the chest. It sounds like females in the western US can sometimes have brown, but I am about as far east as you can get.
Want to know what the experts think. Do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers sometimes have brown on them this far east? Is there another species I’m overlooking for what I might’ve seen?
EDIT: I’m wondering now if what I saw was a female eastern bluebird. I have only seen males up to this point. I didn’t get a great look from the side, so I’m wondering if there’s some blue in the wings I missed.