| Common Name | Gray-cheeked thrush |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Catharus minimus |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 10/23/2024 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | David Middleton |
| Mailing Address | 1399 Raymond Rd Danby, VT 05739 United States Map It |
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| Date Completed | 10/24/2024 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 0 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 0 |
| Place Name | David Middleton |
| Township | Danby |
| County | Rutland |
| Time of Day | 08:00 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 4 mins |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 30 feet |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 30 feet |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | none- nice morning, calm, bright conditions |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | 8x42 |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | very experienced birder with long experience with all thrushes |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | overgrown field edge with old apple trees, etc. |
| Behaviors Observed | perched inside pine- shadowed |
| Description of Vocalizations | call heard 4 times- very nasal rising call without the 'eeep' tones of the Swainson's |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Initially heard the calls in old apple tree. Bird flushed to small pine in clear view. Sat on branch sideways. I had ample time to see it was not an expected thrush- no buffy eye ring, no rusty on tail, no rusty on back. Cheek was dark, breast spots were large, uniform dark olive colored back. I played Gray cheeked call to the perched bird and it seemed to respond- turning toward me, staring at me. There was no response to the Bicknell's call. Not especially definitive, I realize. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Catharus thrush |
| Head | dark cheek, no obvious eye ring |
| Feet & Bill | present |
| Upper Back | dark olive/gray |
| Lower Back & Rump | didn't notice |
| Wings | present- not distinctive- dark |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | heavily darkly spotted breast |
| Tail | present- not distinctive- uniform back wings and tail |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | bicknells by not responsive to call and by call lack 'eeepishness' of Swainson's and bicknells. consulted Sibley on site during observation. |
| Other Notes & Comments | no to age/sex. Since visual identification between bicknells and gray cheeked is problematic it seems just as likely Gray cheeked are migrating through Vermont in late October and not Bicknells. (I am assuming past late fall records are not song identifications) even though your records indicate otherwise. Gray cheeked's population is many many times larger than bicknells and Vermont would be an appropriate migratory stop over point for gray cheeked. For migrating Bicknell's, Danby would be a very short, more improbable migratory stop over site. Odds seem to favor gray cheeked but I will defer to your wisdom. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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