It was one of those stunning September mornings. The air was crisp, the sky was full of high clouds, and a light dew had fallen during the night. My walk through the meadow required a little care to avoid being soaked by the grasses and Joe-pye weeds that drooped over the path; their leaves and flowers laden with water. Having made this journey countless times I managed to get to my destination almost completely dry, which was a major advantage for a person who was about to sit and watch nature for the next two hours.
BirdCast informed me that 470 million birds had decided to take advantage of the climatic conditions and make their way southward during the night. Most of the activity seemed to be concentrated along the Mississippi Flyway, but New England was also aglow with birds migrating down out of Canada. Thus, it was with a great sense of comforting satisfaction that I arrived at my Thinking Chair; one pocket full of birdseed for the chickadees and another filled with peanuts for the titmice and jays. The conditions were going to be perfect for photography; lots of bird activity and very little direct sunlight, which would avoid dark shadows.
I hadn’t been seated for more than two minutes before there was a familiar thunk on my head. The chickadees had shifted from their standoffish summer mode into their bold food-gathering autumn disposition. The birdseed that I had sprinkled on my hat was just too much for the friendly little birds to ignore and I had to endure the magical experience of being pelted with one seed after another as the chickadees sorted through the pile; testing seeds and then chucking them over the side as they searched for just the right morsel.
During my two-hour vigil I managed to observe 38 different species of birds, including seven different species of migrating warblers, two different flycatchers, four different woodpeckers (including an immature yellow-bellied sapsucker) and all of the “regulars” who had been with me throughout the summer. I did my best to track the little birds and I did manage to get some wonderful photos, but the true stars of the morning didn’t show up until I was just about to pack it in for the morning. There was a flurry of warbler activity at about 8:30 a.m. and then, out of nowhere, appeared not one, not two, but three brown thrashers!
If you are new to the birding game then you might not be particularly aware of the brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). Most people are much more familiar with this bird’s cousin, the northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), which was immortalized in the book and later film, “To Kill A Mockingbird.” I doubt that even Gregory Peck could have made much of an impression if the story had been called, “To Kill A Thrasher,” but it is noteworthy that this lesser-known bird is actually a more impressive songster than the mockingbird.
The way to tell the two species apart is by listening to their songs very closely. Mockingbirds tend to imitate other species in bursts of five repeated calls, whereas the thrashers do the same basic thing, but in bursts of only two repetitions of each impersonation. Male mockingbirds may learn up to 200 different songs during their lives, but male thrashers can acquire more than 1,000! More than once I have been fooled by a thrasher and I am convinced that the Merlin app (which identifies the birds singing in your vicinity) has been fooled as well.
Any sighting of a brown thrasher is exciting, but to see three individuals at the same time is a rare treat. I think that they were drawn in by all of the activity of the black-capped chickadees, song sparrows, downy woodpeckers, blue jays, and northern cardinals who have become very comfortable with my presence at the edge of the meadow. The bird in today’s photo was big, bright, and bold as it came close to investigate. I was actually surprised when it finally landed on the ground and began to help itself to some of the shelled sunflower seeds that were mixed into the seed that I had sprinkled on the ground. This particular photo, however, was the one that I selected to share with you today.
The bird’s name may come as no surprise when you see the rich brown feathers that adorn the head, back, wings and tail of this gorgeous creature. I also love the pale buff breast feathers that are decorated with luxurious black streaks. And let’s not ignore those amazing yellow eyes! There was no doubt whatsoever that this bird was looking directly at me as it scrutinized the setting and I was extremely happy when it decided everything was safe. I was able to raise my camera and take a blizzard of photos without seeming to disturb the birds at all. Surrounded by the trio, I was receiving a sound thrashing!
There is still a chance of seeing this species up until early October, but the sooner you get outside to make the effort, the better. Like so many of our summertime birds, the brown thrasher cannot tolerate the cold weather of winter simply because there is nothing for the birds to eat. Thus, they avoid winter by heading south and they may not stop their migration until they reach the states of the Southeast. Their winter range extends from North Carolina, west to Oklahoma and south to the Gulf of Mexico. So get out and give it a try while you still can. Tempus fugit!
Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 28 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more information visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.