Migrating Thrushes are in Town!

In Knoxville, in the east Tennessee Valley, fall brings migrating warblers, thrushes and other species into open wooded areas for food.  That would be a good description of my yard--a wooded edge.  And when you think a rainy day takes away your birding opportunities, think again!    

Gray-cheeked Thrush

I've been hearing thrushy "pit" calls for the past week, but searching for the owners of these voices has been a challenge.  Even when I caught a glimpse of bird movement, it was too brief to ID the bird.  I have enjoyed a brief Swainson's Thrush song and a "vree" like call over the week but still no visual IDs until today!

I definitely feel charmed when I walk by my dining room window and spot a bird fluttering in the dogwood.  This time, I was doubly lucky.  My first bird was the elusive Gray-cheeked Thrush.  Last May this thrush was an accidental find and a life-bird for me in addition to being a new bird ID for the yard.  Once again I found a Gray-cheeked thrush in the same location.  Two of them, and now I feel certain they are regular visitors to the yard during migration. 

A Swainson's Thrush flew in next (above) and displaced the Gray-cheeked Thrush.  The Swainson's showed a nice contrast in the eye and in body color.  In these two individuals, the Swainson's Thrush was more brown in appearance, but more importantly, the eye ring was distinctive.  

Like many of our bird observations, my view of the Swainson's Thrush was brief.  The Swainson's departed and was replaced by another Gray-cheeked Thrush.  This one was darker in appearance and I assumed wetter from the rain.  I believe it was a second Gray-cheeked.  

This one reminded me of why the dogwood is a great place to watch for berry-loving thrushes.  

A great moment of in-door, rainy day birding!

Bird Gratitude

I'm speaking of bird behavior that clearly says our feathered friends appreciate water and food on these bone-chilling subfreezing winter days.
Today was the first leisurely day I've had at home in a while. I could add water frequently to the frozen bird bath until the sun and rising temps loosened up the block of ice that formed overnight. The combination of water, cold weather and plenty of sunflower seeds yielded a surprising list of birds for me today. Most surprisingly, this hermit thrush.
Though blurred by the double pane glass, I am thrilled with these images!
I am certainly not confident about my ability to distinquish the subtle differences between the brown thrushes and am prone to automatically think, "wood thrush". But closer inspection of photos with Peterson's guide in hand, leads me to believe this is a hermit thrush with his facial markings and reddish tail. He also cocked that tail while I was watching, making me think "wren" for an instant.I nearly stopped breathing while I grabbed my camera, afraid he would leave before I returned to snap some photos. Do you think I'm in love with this birdbath? It attracted the most amusing and surprising visitors today. So, so gratifying. Here's today's yard list:
Carolina wren
Northern cardinal
Carolina chickadee
Tufted titmouse
Pine siskin
American goldfinch
White-breasted nuthatch
Slate-colored junco
Northern mockingbird
White-throated sparrow
Downy woodpecker
Purple finch
House finch
Hermit thrush

Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #20 at Birdfreak.com to celebrate the conservation of our world's birds.

Townsend's Solitaire

The table that sat in front of the cook’s cabin at Rose Mountain, on the edge of the Santa Fe National Forest, was a peaceful place to enjoy morning coffee. Just beyond this spot was a small garden pool that often attracted thirsty visitors.
I was introduced to a pair of Townsend’s solitaires in just this way. While I was sipping coffee, they landed in a shrub near me with considerable chatter. The bolder of the two flew down to the ground in front of the pool, paused to look at me, then continued on to enjoy his drink.

The Townsend’s solitaire is a thrush, kin to bluebirds, and sings a gently warbling melody that I enjoyed many times during my visit to New Mexico. What a delightful surprise to have one venture so close and unexpectedly.

Wood Thrush Concert

One edge of my yard drops off into a steep, undisturbed woodland. To sit at its edge is to sit perched at the top of a grand amphitheater awaiting a performance. And yesterday there was a performance of the most pristine kind.

After two days of rain, rain and more rain, the forest canopy sagged and dripped. The thick piles of leaf litter were sodden and silent, the air cold and heavy, the sky overcast with gray. But the song of the wood thrush drew me into his hushed world, to a stage so reverent and tranquil that I became transfixed for the duration of an hour.

In silence I listened to the most heavenly and purest of songs. And after a while, I could follow his movement, though still unseen, by the non-melodious vocal ‘blubs’ and chirps that seemed to accompany his adjustment to a new perch and introduce his next song. This gave me great delight.

Toward the end of the concert, he paid me a visit, landing on a branch just over my left shoulder, and showed me his next perch, so I could both see and hear. It was as though I had a seat in the VIP section of the theater and the star had just come to shake my hand.

My lens is not nearly strong enough to capture a good photo at that distance, nor was the gray light of much help, but I do love my photos. They bring even more intimacy to the moment and will give me later reference for when, before the summer’s end, I sit down to paint this star's portrait.

The Gentle Eastern Bluebird

"As might be expected of creatures so heavenly in color, the disposition of bluebirds is particularly angelic. Gentleness and amiability are expressed in their soft musical voice. Tru-al-ly, tru-al-ly, they sweetly assert when we can scarcely believe that spring is here; tru-wee, tur-wee they softly call in autumn when they go roaming through the countryside in flocks of azure." - Neltje Blanchan, Birds Worth Knowing, 1917 I first encountered the Eastern Bluebird in 1992 when I ventured into farm living in east TN for a period of time. Bluebird boxes were already in place and the resident bluebirds introduced me to their gentle nature and song while I worked in the garden, enjoyed early morning walks and watched nesting activity while sipping coffee on the porch.

As I planted the garden, they collected on the wire overhead and sang. By chance, I discovered that if I uncovered a grub and tossed it a short distance away, a bluebird would quickly drop down to fetch it. Once while watering the garden during the dry days of summer, I delighted to watch two chattering bluebirds repeatedly fly through the sprinkler’s arched spray, every bit as playful as laughing children.

And in the fall, after three bluebird families had raised all their young, I witnessed dozens of bluebirds gathering on tree limbs and along fence wires in the early morning. Flying just ahead of us, from post to post in leap-frog fashion, bluebirds were as much a part of morning walks as the Australian shepherds that eagerly led my way.

The Eastern Bluebird's Spring Melody

The gentle warbling notes of the Eastern Bluebird are among favorite spring melodies. Permanent residents of Tennessee, they seldom leave the state but roam the open country side during the winter months in small flocks searching for seeds and berries. This is the time of year when territorial songs begin and pairs of bluebirds can be seen visiting potential nest sites located in abandoned woodpecker cavities or man-made nest boxes. It is common for bluebirds to have two clutches of young, sometimes three. When late winter weather is mild, pairs will lay their first eggs in March.

Bluebirds hunt for insects from a perch and can be seen dropping to the ground to capture prey. They are quick, however, remaining on the ground for only an instant. The above photo was captured during one lift-off.