Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher A bird that I’ve come to associate with early spring is the blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) , a woodland sprite that returns in early to mid-April from its wintering territory in southern April 28, 2017 Birds of Barrington/Birds of Barrington Illinois/Causes & Giving/Citizens for Conservation/Nature & Wildlife/Things to Do/Wendy Paulson/Wildlife