Varied Thrush

We have been looking for Varied Thrushes. Last year they appeared in our yard during the first two weeks of October. This year they seem to be a few days late, perhaps due to our dry season—they may await snowfall to leave their forest habitat. I have heard Varied Thrushes for the past few days—their song is an eerie, penetrating, single-pitched but slightly modulating whistle that reminds me of bird calls in the tropical jungle. Others compare the sound to a policeman’s whistle. My birds sang from the tree tops, which is typical for the species. On 9 October 2020, I finally saw a Varied Thrush. The bird swooped out of the forest and into thick bushes outside our study. I ran for my camera—the result is the first photograph,

Later that day I banded a second Varied Thrush. This second bird is an immature—judging by its faint breast band and relatively pale sides to the face, it is probably a female. With the bird in my hand, I was struck by the stunning scalloped pattern on the bird’s flanks. To me this pattern seemed reminiscent of a bird-of-paradise. Varied Thrushes are found in the along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to California. Most retreat south in the winter. Population numbers increase on a three to five year cycle. During peaks of their cycle, Varied Thrushes stray across wide areas of Canada and the United States.