Brown Thrasher and other breeding visitors update

Whoa…in the 90s today and tomorrow, with low temperatures only in the 70s. There’s a slight breeze so it isn’t too awful (in the shade), but it’s a good opportunity to hole up in the house with the A/C going…it needs to be tested anyway. Haha

 Yesterday I mentioned two breeding visitors to our area, the Barn Swallow and Cliff Swallow, and today I will discuss yet another, the Brown Thrasher. David was successful recently in snapping some photos so I want to share them with you. He spotted a young thrasher on a branch...

 ...soon joined by a parent, who promptly plopped a mulberry into its mouth.

 Never too young to start good hygiene...

 I'm sure spreading those wings will feel more natural quickly!

The Brown Thrasher is 9 ½ - 11” in length and have a long tail; bright reddish-brown above; two white wingbars; white below, streaked with brown. Their habitat includes open brushy areas, forest edges, hedgerows, thickets, suburbs, parks.

The thrasher, similar to the Mockingbird, is a member of the family Mimidae, or mimic thrushes (the name thrasher derives from the word thrush). A characteristic of this group is the imitation is sounds. The bird is usually seen singing from a high perch out in the open.

Another breeding visitor is the Eastern Kingbird, also pictured below; have seen no young or “parental” activity that I’m aware of.

 A visitor to our area is also the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We are very near the border of being its migratory vs. breeding area, so I am unsure which they are here. We still saw them around May 25^th, when David captured them in a few photos (shown below).  As with most things, time will tell.  

The female visits the feeders quite often:

...but the male is shyer and stays by the hedgerows for the most part.

The Indigo Bunting, another breeding visitor, is still gracing us with his presence, but have again seen no young or parenting. The females, with their unremarkable colors and markings of brown and white, can be mistaken for other common birds so I am unsure if there is a pair lurking about or not.

Oh, and that Summer Tanager is still elusive and could learn some manners! Haha Yet another breeding visitor here, but we haven’t seen the yellowish-green female counterpart around. They are mainly insect eaters however, so it isn’t often it is seen near the house.

This time of year is so colorful; in addition to these I've highlighted we also have our year-round residents that add such beauty (woodpeckers, cardinals, blue jays, goldfinches, etc.). The trees appear to have jewels hanging from them as the lights capture their presence on the limbs.

A character we don't get to see very often here is a squirrel, but we recently saw one enjoying the mulberries nearby. I reckon this is a Gray Squirrel; their head and body are 8 - 11" in length, with their tail 8 - 10". They are usually gray on back and sides, whitish below; large, bushy tail. Gray Squirrels breed twice a year, an event accompanied by fights, chases, and other noisy activities. Late winter or spring litters are usually born in tree hollows; summer ones, sometimes in leafy nests out along the branches of a tree. Males play no role in raising the young, which average three per litter and nurse for several months.

 Enjoying a tasty mulberry....

 So good, is reaching for more!

One of our wonders in the world, a sunset must be among them.

 Stop, lift your gaze, 

and watch as the sun gently sets…

let it caress the eyes.

Let it lull the soul into the night... 

and prepare you for evening rest.

Think not of tasks undone,

 think not of tasks for the morrow…

ponder only that which is before you.

The Earth slowly waves goodbye,

ready for its slumber.

(PJ Matthews)

Until next time...