The Varied Thrush is a magnificent bird among our common thrushes. Although our American Robin is beautiful in its own right, the Varied thrush has some endearing qualities as well as stunning plumage.
A resident of the Pacific Northwest and breeding west of the Continental Divide it rarely but regularly wanders east including into the Great Lakes region. This is a pattern uncommon among most bird species but a few share this apparent wander lust.
A Varied Thrush has made its way into Holmes County, Ohio patronizing a feeder at an Amish home. The family welcomed at times hordes of birders anxious to see this species for the first time. I saw another bird at a feeder in Findlay State Park back in the 1980's but I was happy to make a trip to see another.
When I see a Varied Thrush it sends my mind and heart to the Rocky Mountains and Glacier National Park. The Varied Thrush is a signature of mature moist coniferous forests. It lives in dense, continuous stands of conifers. Sometimes they appear in the middle of a road but more often than not they are heard and nearly impossible to locate even when they are near.
The song sounds like a fluted thrush song delivered with a descending buzz. The males sing from the tops of spruce and cedar. They forage on moss laden forest floor. With even the best of effort they are still nearly impossible to find near, far up or down. The song is unmistakable and probably a bit unsettling if one didn't know it was a bird.
So, I love a mystery. It's elusive habits and it's casual "wander lust" are the very things that make this bird so cool and special. And when you finally get to see this creature it is punctuated beauty.
I have fond memories of visiting Glacier National Park in early June. The roads are closed and there may be 30 feet of snow at the pass that bridges west and east at the Continental Divide. Closed to vehicular traffic the road winding ever up to the pass and after a few hundred yards you see Glacier in all her wilderness glory. I watched Grizzly Bear mother and cubs crossing a high glacier and watched Ravens soaring high above.
It's a great walk. All along the way the erie and unmistakable song of the Varied Thrush serenades those the that weave their way along the road that bisects majestic spruce forest. And if your lucky a couple may grace you with an appearance on the quiet road ahead.
I enjoy seeing Ohio's rare visitors but I remain an advocate for birders to seek out as many birds in their natural habitat as possible so they can get to know the birds and more importantly the places they represent.
The Varied Thrush song is one best heard by the heart. My eternal pursuit of birds is smoking mirror. Birding is the leading edge of my insatiable need to experience wild places and wild things in the middle of nowhere.
GRAND CANYON NATIONALPARK !
.......and Reflections
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
Late January Signs of Spring
It's cold. It's snowing. It was -2 degrees a couple of mornings ago and has warmed to a toasty 14 degrees today. It is, unquestionably, January in the Great Lakes. Birding in the winter is relatively slow but it is also a good time for serendipitous discoveries.
So far this year I have seen 10 species of mammals. The best sighting was a pair of Coyotes on Mosquito Lake ice. I watched the two Coyotes acting more like puppies....out of character for their reputation. My guess is that frolicking, rolling around on the ice and laying on their backs with legs kicking around in the air may preclude a spring family. Just a guess.
I watched a an American Beaver lodge transform over a few days during the warm "January thaw". One day I could see that it was darker than it had been. After inspecting with binoculars it clearly had received a new coat of mud and muck. The Beaver was resting at the base of the lodge. The same was true the next day. On the third day the Beaver was absent but the Lodge had a new set of cut and crafted sticks and timbers. I think it was a renovation for a new spring nursery and the ultimate permanent thaw.
Yesterday I traveled to the Lake Erie shoreline along downtown Cleveland. Here is an infamous location where Gulls congregate to feed on Gizzardshad attracted to warm waters discharged by a power plant. It was brutally cold and a sobering reminder of what January can dish-out along the north coast of Ohio.
The visit was successful because there were lots of gulls. While we looked across masses of birds resting on near-shore ice it was all interrupted by other birds looking for more than Gizzardshad. Two Bald Eagles cruised over the masses along the harbor break wall and all the resting masses rose to the sky in two huge clouds. A Peregrine Falcon came to near shore and raised the birds near shore. The result was a conservative estimate of 100,000 gulls swarming in the air in front of the birders toughing out the extreme cold. It was an awesome sight.
The benefit of gull concentrations is that it usually harbors rarer gulls in the masses of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. And with patience and practice we were able to single out Glaucous, Iceland, Thayer's, and Lesser Black backed Gulls among the chaos.
While the Lake Erie Bald Eagles were busy working out a meal I found 2 more Bald Eagles today engaged in another compelling activity. While cruising Mosquito Creek Wildlife area this morning I saw 2 Bald Eagles on the ground in a large open grassland bordered by forest. As I watched them hopping around on the ground the male rose up and with wings flailing for balance mated with the female. This is the only time I have been absolutely sure who was the boy and who was the girl as they are identical in plumage.
Breeding Bald Eagles, lodge maintenance and frolicking Coyotes are true sign that spring is not too far down the trail. But there are other hints as well. Have you noticed that the American Goldfinches are already looking much more yellow? Have you seen that European Starlings are losing body speckles and looking a bit glossy? Look at their beaks and you will see that the bills are growing into yellow. It is the bright yellow bill that appeals to the girls when winter turns to spring.
It's cold and still snowing. Winter will seem to linger forever for most of us but in nature all the creatures are watching the sun and adjusting to the lengthening daylight. Even if it stays cold, when the daylight signals spring, wildlife and wild places will be ready for the real spring ahead, especially in the Middle of Nowhere.
So far this year I have seen 10 species of mammals. The best sighting was a pair of Coyotes on Mosquito Lake ice. I watched the two Coyotes acting more like puppies....out of character for their reputation. My guess is that frolicking, rolling around on the ice and laying on their backs with legs kicking around in the air may preclude a spring family. Just a guess.
I watched a an American Beaver lodge transform over a few days during the warm "January thaw". One day I could see that it was darker than it had been. After inspecting with binoculars it clearly had received a new coat of mud and muck. The Beaver was resting at the base of the lodge. The same was true the next day. On the third day the Beaver was absent but the Lodge had a new set of cut and crafted sticks and timbers. I think it was a renovation for a new spring nursery and the ultimate permanent thaw.
Yesterday I traveled to the Lake Erie shoreline along downtown Cleveland. Here is an infamous location where Gulls congregate to feed on Gizzardshad attracted to warm waters discharged by a power plant. It was brutally cold and a sobering reminder of what January can dish-out along the north coast of Ohio.
The visit was successful because there were lots of gulls. While we looked across masses of birds resting on near-shore ice it was all interrupted by other birds looking for more than Gizzardshad. Two Bald Eagles cruised over the masses along the harbor break wall and all the resting masses rose to the sky in two huge clouds. A Peregrine Falcon came to near shore and raised the birds near shore. The result was a conservative estimate of 100,000 gulls swarming in the air in front of the birders toughing out the extreme cold. It was an awesome sight.
The benefit of gull concentrations is that it usually harbors rarer gulls in the masses of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. And with patience and practice we were able to single out Glaucous, Iceland, Thayer's, and Lesser Black backed Gulls among the chaos.
While the Lake Erie Bald Eagles were busy working out a meal I found 2 more Bald Eagles today engaged in another compelling activity. While cruising Mosquito Creek Wildlife area this morning I saw 2 Bald Eagles on the ground in a large open grassland bordered by forest. As I watched them hopping around on the ground the male rose up and with wings flailing for balance mated with the female. This is the only time I have been absolutely sure who was the boy and who was the girl as they are identical in plumage.
Breeding Bald Eagles, lodge maintenance and frolicking Coyotes are true sign that spring is not too far down the trail. But there are other hints as well. Have you noticed that the American Goldfinches are already looking much more yellow? Have you seen that European Starlings are losing body speckles and looking a bit glossy? Look at their beaks and you will see that the bills are growing into yellow. It is the bright yellow bill that appeals to the girls when winter turns to spring.
It's cold and still snowing. Winter will seem to linger forever for most of us but in nature all the creatures are watching the sun and adjusting to the lengthening daylight. Even if it stays cold, when the daylight signals spring, wildlife and wild places will be ready for the real spring ahead, especially in the Middle of Nowhere.
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