This gallery contains 2 photos. This gorgeous lady came and stayed for three days in mid-November. She confined her peregrinations to the front of the house, (unintentionally) posing on the pyracantha bush on the front lawn, as she feasted from for this water-beaded shot, which I took from 12-15 feet away — the closest I have gotten to a female Varied Thrush. She is my first sighting of a Varied Thrush this fall, and I saw her male counterpart about a week later in the backyard. Photographed on a rainy November 14.
a slightly drenched, breathtaking beauty in brown and orange
f/14, 1/125, 150-500mm telephoto lens, 500mm, ISO 1600, flash on
Unlike their cousins, those saucy American Robins, Varied Thrushes are very shy around humans (and, given their territorial nature, quite solitary, although last winter, we had four in the backyard at the same time). It’s a sobering thought that these beautiful birds are especially vulnerable to window strikes. We have lost at least three over the past three years, and have made a conscious decision to keep the drapes closed and the windows marked with painter’s tape. Varied Thrushes are another bird species in significant decline, thanks to predators like cats and diminishing old growth forest habitats. Photographed on a sunny November 15. This pretty lady stayed for one more day.
she’s wandering over the neighbour’s planks (yes, I saw the exposed nail afterwards … ouch!)
f/11, 1/60, 150-500mm telephoto lens, 500mm, ISO 1600, flash on
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Sorry about the possibility of window strikes, that must be very hard to experience for a bird lover like you.
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it is definitely tough to witness. these beautiful creatures have a hard enough existence in the winter.
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I love their song. It’s unique and almost haunting.
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I must get all the quiet Varied Thrushes 🙂 … since I have never heard them sing, except on Youtube videos!
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We have window strikes here quite frequently but usually they bounce off. I still don’t like hearing them. These little birds are incredibly beautiful and you captured it!
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thank you, Noelle! I think they are the most beautiful of wintering birds! 🙂
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Beautiful shots! Beautiful bird.
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thank you, Mary! perhaps the most delightfully colourful birds to winter in Metro Vancouver!
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It is beautifully photographed this Lady varied thrush.
Congratulations. I wish you a beautiful Sunday …
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thank you, Hervé, a beautiful Sunday to you, too.
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There must be something about thrushes because we get more wood thrushes bashing into our windows than other birds (proportionately). Poor things.
Gorgeous photos of a gorgeous bird!
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awww, poor things!! we have American robins (another member of the thrush family!) doing the bashing, but they (the males, anyway) do it on purpose. must a territorial thing, and they can’t recognize their own reflections in the window.
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Luckily, we’ve not had crazy robins…LOL! We did have one crazy female Cardinal that pecked at car side mirrors. 😆
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all cases of excessive vanity!! 😀
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I swear birds are crazy! LOL!!
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Beautiful captures! They have such gorgeous plumage.
They now sell nets you can put about a foot from the window, which allow one to see through from the inside. http://www.birdscreen.com
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thank you, Eliza!!
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The pictures are absolutely stunning. Thank you. Have you guessed I have a fondness for our feathered friends yet?
Hugs
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hmm … I might have picked up on that proclivity of yours! 😉
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stunning birds and the first shot is spectacular with the color of the berries!
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W.H. Beautiful! They are such a pretty bird. No wonder Sibley put one on the front cover! I had a nice surprise this afternoon. Had a Northern Mockingbird in our yard, but briefly. Ran for the camera, but alas it was gone. A lifer for me. So I am pleased!
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thank you, Robin! I wish we saw more of these shy beautiful birds.
oh you lucky, lucky guy!! I’m still envious over the Evening Grosbeaks you have. your new lifer also also a rare bird in Vancouver. congratulations!!
http://bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/p/vancouver-and-fraser-valley.html
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Thanks! We had the Grosbeaks again this afternoon! They really take over the feeder when they arrive!
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Evening Grosbeaks in the afternoon? 😉 you’ve got to share photos of them in a future post!! 😀
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I will that! They are so pretty!
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they are indeed … a lovely splash of yellow on a dreary Vancouver day! 😀
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Lovely thrush! Great colors and captures Hui, glad that could observe her for a few days 🙂
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thank you, Yalakom! they have returned this fall/winter as well. love to photograph them in the leaf litter. 🙂
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