Wood Thrush

[Ed O'Connor]

Here's a photo of a Wood Thrush I saw this morning in the Wet Woods at Tommy Thompson Park. These birds are skulkers and they like to hang out in thick brush, so I don't get one every spring. One of my favorite birds, though, with the bold black spots on the breast and the chestnut-colored nape. Always happy to see them, and their song is sublime. Wood Thrush by Edward O'Connor, on Flickr

[Paul O'Toole]

Nice shot, they can be shy.

[Shortsighted]

Very lucky encounter, but then again, you're in the right place.
I would get tachycardia if I ever saw one that close. Only seen
one a couple of times in the past. Once near Highland Creek and
once at Ashbridges. It appeared and disappeared so quickly that
it is hard to recall any details. I would love to photograph one.

[Ed O'Connor]

Thanks, Paul; thanks, Shortsighted. Yes, they seem to have a sixth sense for foiling photographers, always keeping a few branches in the way. I took a dozen shots, and this was the only one that turned out at all. Now if I could just get a Brown Thrasher ...

[Shortsighted]

Finding a B. Thrasher is just chance. Once you see one, study its behaviour.
See if it has a good reason to have picked that spot. If it flies off does it
return? If so, approach while it is gone and get yourself low and comfortable.
It might be a 10-15 minute wait but it might return and perhaps ignore you
completely, assuming you are motionless. Then you'll get your shot and a
down-to-earth perspective as well.

[OL57]

I managed to see and photograph a Brown Thrasher this past Monday at Colonel Samuel Smith Park (in the dogwoods patch). I did crouch down low to get the photo.

[attachment=0:28mpec99]BThrasher.jpg[/attachment:28mpec99]

[Ed O'Connor]

Nice shot of the Brown Thrasher. You managed to capture what I find so captivating about this bird, which is the milk-chocolate-butterscotch-swirl color of the plumage. I'll have to start practicing Shortsighted's waiting-game technique and see what happens.