[obol] Re: Finding a Varied Thrush in the Portland area: not as easy as I thought!

  • From: Rachel Kapelle <rkapelle@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: janet.leavens1@xxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:59:19 -0700

Hello,

I saw a few yesterday afternoon in West Salem at the Wallace Marine Park
softball complex. They were just north of the northernmost parking lot
there--along the trail between the parking lot and the little pond in the
woods. Since this was the first time I had seen them there, however, I
can't say whether this is a usual spot for them.

-Rachel

On Wed, Oct 22, 2014 at 3:09 PM, Janet Leavens <janet.leavens1@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> My husband and I are here visiting the Portland area for the week (from
> Central Florida). We've already visited the coast and have had lots of
> luck, finding 9 lifers including Northern Shrike; White-tailed Kite and
> Heerman's Gull.
>
> However, we've had no luck whatsoever with Varied Thrush. According to
> eBird, they seem to be all around us and have been reported from almost
> every location we've birded. Yet, although we've seen other skulkers and
> hard to see birds (Hermit Thrush, Pacific and Bewick's Wren, Brown Creeper)
> we've yet to (knowingly) see or hear a Varied Thrush. So, can anyone give
> us any tips? Are Varied Thrushes still singing (I suppose not)? Are they
> calling? Are they only really active at one particular time of day? Do the
> favor some specific habitat that we're missing? I have been assuming they'd
> be found in well wooded areas like Hermit Thrushes, but maybe I'm wrong.
> Does luck really have something to do with it -- as is some days you can
> find 5 and others zero? Is there any particular spot that is really
> reliable for the species?
>
> Thanks in advance for any info!
>
> Janet Leavens
> Oviedo, FL
>

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