Hermit Thrush: Early Spring Arrival

This afternoon, around 3 p.m., I walked toward the boardwalk in Luria Park. The sun illuminated the dirt track to the boardwalk as well as one of our first spring migrants: the Hermit Thrush.

The Hermit Thrush is a common woodland bird to our area in spring and summer. He is one of the first to arrive in spring and one of the first to depart for warmer climes in the fall. I found this dappled fellow eating a worm in a puddle. He quickly flew to a brush pile north of the path clearly waiting for me to depart so he could eat more "puddle worms" in peace.

This ruddy bird with a speckled breast is a little smaller than the American Robin. He is quite happy foraging in open areas of his forest habitat, particularly open paths.

A good way to identify the hermit Thrush from similar and less common species, is to look for his long ruddy-reddish tail and contrasting dark primary wing feathers.

He will hold his wings in a downward and sometimes flick wings and tail in a deliberate fashion.

So, if you are walking on the dirt path before you get to the boardwalk, walk carefully and look carefully. You may very well see our neighborhood Hermit Thrush!

(all photographs taken in Luria Park.)
   
Why a Raymondale bird blog? Dan and Beth Fedorko have been inventorying birds for Cornell University's Backyard Bird Count (www.feederwatch.org) which runs November through April each year. This inventory keeps track of migratory patterns, possible diseases, and decline and increase in bird populations. In response to the Raymondale Environmental Stewardship Task Force, we have started this blog which is separate from the general Raymondale news blog and more personal, to share our finds and photographs. If you see any birds in the neighborhood and surrounding parkland, please send us a photo! We'll help you identify it and might even post it on the blog!