Monday, April 23, 2018

The Wiley Brown Thrasher Pays a Visit

I looked out the window and OH MY GOSH, it's a Brown Thrasher.  I haven't seen one in literally years.  But there he was, right there in the winter feeding area, big as life, helping himself.
He is poking around in the snow and the dirt below with his rather long somewhat downwardly curving beak.
His head goes back up and he peers into the hole in the snow he has just made.
The long beak goes back in and I surmise he is eating something.
He checks out his excavation yet again.
A monocular look in the excavated area.
Focus.
Probing and eating a likely tidbit.
A monocular look to the side and into the hole.
Robin who has been being quite territorial about the area when it comes to larger birds gets the pointed look of doom.  Robin retreats.
Thrasher nabs a tidbit and eats it.
More peering at the excavation.

Nab!
Oops.  He notices me and I get "the look".  I expect a possible retreat on his part.  
Either he's savvy to windows as a barrier or decides he can "take me", either way he goes back to the business at hand.
Another bite of something.
More scrutinizing.  In the meantime, Squirrel the cat has appeared and is "helping" me look out the window.
Thrasher fixes on something stage right out of our view.  Squirrel the cat now has his paws on the window sill making those "interesting" noises cats make while watching birds.
Thasher and a male House Sparrow begin a walking retreat to Stage Left and there appears to be something Stage Right that has them retreating on foot so not terribly bu worth the walking effort.  I grab Squirrel the Cat and we retreat towards another room and a possibly more expansive view as to what might be causing the feeding birds retreat.

By the time we reach that other window everyone is gone.  

Happy Birding!
Donegal Browne

P.S.  To hear the song of Brown Thrashers, which is really quite wonderful.  Click the link below.

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