I've written about about taking my lunch break in Forsyth Park before. During migration, it's one of the go-to spots for warblers, and lately I've been careful not to leave home without my bins in the morning. I'll spend an hour strolling the same route every day, and take as meticulous a count for eBird as I can manage. During April alone I racked up 13 warbler species, and today made 14 for the year (Yellow Warbler) for the park alone.
As remarkable as the warblers have been this spring, the thrushes have been stealing the show this week. On Monday, I spied what I thought was my FOS Swainson's Thrush. The last of the wintering Hermit Thrushes left weeks ago, and seeing my bird from behind, I noted the absence of any rufous on the tail. The only other Catharus thrush we've seen in the county is Swainson's, and so I nearly took it for granted that I had one in front of me. The lack of a buff eye-ring, however, immediately tipped me off that this was either a Gray-cheeked or a Bicknell's Thrush. Either one would be a lifer, but which one was it?!? Plus, my lunch break was ending, and Maureen wasn't around to share it with me. It looked like I was going to have to let this one go. Or would I…?
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| Gray-Cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush |
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| Gray-Cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush |
Tuesday, it started raining as soon as I stepped out the door for lunch. I wasn't going to get any birding in that day. And so this afternoon I took my usual route, which ends with the spot where I'd seen the thrush. Assuming it would have flown north by now, I took my sweet time in getting there. Big mistake. Not only was it still around, but it was in the wide open dirt patch where the Chatham Co. Parks department recently mowed down their azaleas. And it was cooperative! People buzzed past every minute, and neither bikes nor dogs fazed it in the least.
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| Gray-Cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush |
After work, Maureen ran home to pick up her camera while I staked out the bird. It was waiting for me from the second I stepped foot in the park. It was still out in the open, and just as cooperative as it had been earlier. It was another hour before Maureen was able to join me, and the whole time I was super anxious that she was going to miss the show. Indeed, it flew up into a tree and hid in the foliage just a couple of minutes before she arrived, nearly breaking my heart. However, after only a short wait it came back out, to our great relief.
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| Gray-Cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush |
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| Gray-Cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush |
Formerly considered the same species, all of our guides emphasize the challenges in differentiating between them in the field. As amazing as our looks were, we were still at a loss. At least there was no question of it being a Swainson's -- a second thrush joined our mystery bird, and the eye-ring on this one was unmistakable. Almost side-by-side, the difference between the Swainson's and our mystery thrush was evident.
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| Swainson's Thrush |
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| Swainson's Thrush |
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| Swainson's Thrush |
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| Swainson's Thrush |
While it seemed more responsive to a Bicknell's call, it seems that, looking over Maureen's photos, the field marks are more consistent with a Gray-cheeked, overall. The mottled gray face, olive flanks, and lack of any red on the tail all point to the latter. But the thing I'll remember most about it is the little wiggle dance it performed in between foraging, subtlely swaying from side to side. Thanks to this super cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush I now had ample reason for doing a celebratory wiggle dance of my own.
UPDATE: We're told that, based on distribution, Bicknell's is actually more likely, as they migrate along the coast. We're also told that Bicknell's and Gray-cheeked most assuredly are indistinguishable in the field, except through vocalization. Although the thrush was seen again all day today, it still has yet to make a peep.
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| Gray-Cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush foraging |
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| Gray-Cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush |
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