Varied Thrush

On 30 September 2019, I banded a Varied Thrush in our Olympia yard—a first for my banding career. Varied Thrushes breed in montane forests, although previously they bred to sea-level. Logging and other types of habitat disturbances forced the thrushes to hiogher elevations.

Our understanding of Varied Thrush migration is somewhat muddled (Wahl et al. 2005). Some birds make true migrations, while others may only undergo elevational shifts during the winter. In the fall, birds spread out from their dense forest breeding areas into the lowlands, where they are found in a variety of habitats, including urban areas and fields. In the fall, birds begin moving in mid- or late September, especially after early mountain snows. Larger numbers are recorded in November or December. In mid-April and May Varied Thrushes head back to their breeding grounds. They are less common in western Washington in mid-winter. The situation is further confused by the possibility that populations may be cyclical from year to year. In any event, it is worth noting that the Olympic Range and much of the Cascades suffered their first major snowfall of this fall during the past several days.