[Tweeters] The Great Thrush Caper

[Jim Elder]

Dave, 
I may have seen your bird this afternoon at Discovery Park. It fits your description perfectly with the white flecked head except around the eye, black breast band, rusty flanks. If it was the same bird it was fun but it wasn't a Dusky Thrush. My bird at least was a leucistic Spotted Towhee. In addition to all the characteristics you listed, it also had a conical beak, red eye, and the mew call of a towhee. They are pretty striking with a white head. It was approximately here: 47.658280, -122.423375 which is near where your new Capehart trail returns into the loop trail by one of the overlooks. Is that where you saw your bird?

Jim Elder, Seattle
 
In response to:


>> Message: 7

>> Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2023 18:39:08 +0000

>> From: David Hutchinson <florafaunabooks at hotmail.com>

>> To: "tweeters at u.washington.edu" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

>> Subject: [Tweeters] The Great Thrush Caper

>> Message-ID:

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>>

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>>

>> So thanks to all who assisted in this adventure and sent a variety of photos. What does one do when seeing an apparent Dusky Thrush in the park & not make a complete fool of one's self?

>>

>> Take the white head off of a leucistic Varied Thrush. Remove a black breast band from another Varied Thrush. Splurge lots of rusty orange color from an actual Varied Thrush around.

>> Finally take a black eye stripe from a real Dusky Thrush. Mix it all up and bingo there you have it - a Harlequin Thrush, in actuality a lurid leucistic Varied Thrush ( I think !) It was a lot of fun while it lasted.

>>

>> Best to all, David Hutchinson