[obol] A "Varied" Sort of Thrush This Year

[Steve McDonald]

     Varied Thrushes have ordinarily come to my place, which is next to
the foothills in the Southern Willamette Valley, just for a few days at
a time and only in very cold weather.  This year, things are very
different.  In November, six of them stayed for two weeks, left for
three weeks and then came back in late December.  They have been here
constantly, ever since.

     They dig in the needles under my big fir trees and sometimes pull
up red worms from the lawn. There are thick rhododendrons, ferns,
currants and other native plants under the trees and they spend time in
them.  But, for the first time here, they have been eating birdseed from
feeders.  One male started joining the sparrows and juncos on the
feeders about three weeks ago and in a few days, the other thrushes
joined him.  They eat a lot of it and I'd think that was the main
attraction that is keeping them here, except that I never saw them touch
it for the first two months.  Recently, a male took a peanut in the
shell and flew off with it.  I assume he had both the intent and
technique to open it.  

     Unlike all other birds that come to the feeders, including jays,
these thrushes do not defer to the squirrels.  They stand their ground
and even make lunges at them, if they get too close.  There is one
dominant male thrush and the others, except one, are obligated to wait
until he leaves, before coming to the feeders.  There is one female,
that may have some history with him, that has a pass to the feeders, but
I never see any other interaction between them, that indicates they are
paired.

     A few days ago, many more Varied Thrushes joined them.  There may
have been 14 or more buzzing around the yard, trying to establish a
pecking-order.  The new arrivals didn't stay long, but they may also
have been spending an extended period down in the valley. 

     Is this all unusual behavior for them, or have other people been
seeing them do these things in the past?

Steve McDonald