On October 17, 2024, I had a relatively brief window of time to spend in the yard in the late afternoon and, seeing some intermittent bird activity in the yard from my office, I retrieved my camera and relocated to the yard. There was’t much of interest when I arrived but after some time my attention was drawn to activity on a snag I had “planted” at the edge of the yard. Sitting on that snag was a female Varied thrush, the first for our fall/winter season! I managed to take a few photos before the bird descended into the yard, but it was initially behind some bushes that obscured my vision.

After about ten minutes the bird emerged at my stone bird bath for some water where I was able to obtain a couple of additional photos.

We usually have had a few Varied thrushes hang around the yard the entire winter, but last year they only made rare appearances. They are beautiful birds.. I’m hoping for more this coming season..

Not long after one of the thrush’s visits a Ruby-crowned kinglet flew into the Japanese maple immediately adjacent to me… too close for photos! It quickly disappeared but it, or another, returned a short time later for a bath in a location more conducive for photographs. Unfortunately the bird’s frenetic movement didn’t afford me the opportunity for any but this most basic photo, as you see here.

Both of these birds are winter visitors. The thrushes come down from the mountains in the winter in search of a more reliable food supply. I see, on rare occasions, a Ruby-crowned kinglet but the Golden-crowned kinglets (see prior post) are much more frequent visitors.