Hermit Thrush Crossing
Why did the Hermit Thrush cross the road? Beats me, but it happened! A cynical person would say because it was too lazy to fly, but I’ll say it wanted to stretch its legs and get some running exercise in. Those wings must have been tired from all that migrating. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWintering Hermit Thrush
This is one of seemingly many (in the relative sense) Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) I have spotted in the last couple of months as this hardy species has been sticking out the late autumn in a number of my frequented locations. The bird pictured is one of those individuals. The most enigmatic sighting I had recently was with my Shetland Sheepdog a couple of weeks ago as we found a bird foraging in the lawn under a maple tree near the edge of mature woodlands. It looked at us and hopped up into one of the eye-level branches as we approached, casually watching us. It watched my dog...
Read MoreAutumn Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
This beautiful Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) posed wonderfully for me in the shade earlier today, taking a quick break from foraging in mounds of leaf litter. They are a shy species that can be found on the edges of forests and woodlands, even your yard, if there is enough space and habitat for them to find insects. As we near the winter their diet is going to shift to include various berries. I was surprised to find several of them this weekend, possibly having moved south and been more boldly active given all of the cold temperatures lately. They will enjoy this warm-up making bug...
Read MoreApril migrants at the College Lodge
This morning I visited the SUNY College Lodge, a site which you can find in our Natural History Atlas at this link. Our staff is currently conducting a year-long plant and wildlife assessment of the approximately 200-acre property owned and operated by the Faculty Student Association of SUNY Fredonia. My main target today was the beginning of the big push of migrant birds we will be enjoying throughout the region for the next month. Despite the cool weather there are still many species filtering into through the area in late April, as usual. One of the first birds I heard was the...
Read MoreHermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) by Scott Kruitbosch
This Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) was at the Times Beach Nature Preserve in Buffalo on October 13. The reddish tail of the common fall migrant always contrasts with their duller body. This routine sighting will nevertheless be recorded for all-time having been entered into eBird and counted on the Buffalo Ornithological Society’s October Count in Section 11. What conservation monitoring and citizen science programs do you participate in?
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