Date: Sun, 2 Nov 2003 22:21:51 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Adam Smith Subject: Thrush ID Question MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today while opening the park shortly after 7am this morning, I came = across two thrushes. One of which was calling. It never sang, it only = gave a call note. It sounded very much like a starling's slurred = whistle, though it much smoother and had that characteristically = flute-like quality to it. I have listened to all the usual suspects = call notes and it seems that the Veery call note fits best. =20 Now I also got a pretty good look at the birds. This is where the = problem is. The birds were richly colored like a Wood Thrush or a = Veery. The only snag is that the spotting pattern on the breast. It = appeared to come further down on the breast that any other Veery that I = have ever seen. The spotting pattern was much more like a Swainson's or = a Gray-checked. Also, there was no distinct cheek mark (or color that I = remember) as on a Wood Thrush's. =20 Ideally this would be the bird: colored like a Veery, breast-pattern = like a Gray-cheek and a call note like a or very similar to a Veery = also. Could they have been brightly colored Swainson's? Or were they = Veery's with abnormally spotted breasts? =20 If anyone has more experience with these birds call notes, please let me = know. =20 So what do you all think. I am leaning towards Veery, but it seems a = little late in the year. Thanks p.s. these birds were seen at Downs Park in Pasadena MD Adam Smith Arubuts, MD cyanbluecobalt@msn.com =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================