Tantalizing 24

I saw the first Brown Thrasher of this season about 2 weeks ago, earliest I've ever seen one here.  Since then, I've gotten a few fleeting glimpses as he skulks and lurks; and heard his distinctive songs (every phrase repeated twice).  But today, as I sat in the hide, he popped out of the cherry tree,  in good light and a clean view.  So, here is my 24th blipped yard bird of the year.

A few minutes after the Thrasher came calling, I saw my first quick glimpse of a bright ruby-red gorget...the first hummingbird of the season, a full week earlier than last year!  He was here and gone before I could even lift the camera, but I'll have time...

There was also a Pileated Woodpecker at the edge of the woods, talking up a storm before dropping to the forest floor where he went to work on a downed tree.  Not a good photo op, but a delight to see.

Lunch with a friend today - lovely to see her and catch up.  And, before lunch, 3 miles on the treadmill.  Day two of my weekly goal.

Thank you for stopping by!

xo
Debbi


If you are interested...Brown Thrashers are in the Mimic Thrush family, closely related to our more common Mockingbirds and Gray Catbirds.  All three species in this family are slender birds with elegant lines and long tails and an inherent ability to mimic all kinds of sounds.  Mockingbirds repeat their phrases 3 times, while thrasher repeat twice and catbirds only once.  Brown Thrashers are summer breeding residents in our part of the country and year-round birds in the southeastern US.