City Thrushes

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Dear all,

Here's a note from a Baltimore City birdwatcher, keeping windows open at
work.  Once in a while, I get surprised by what I hear.  Yesterday, a
Northern Waterthrush was calling from a bush outside my office window. 
(Why?  I have no idea.  There are no streams within a mile of the church
building where I serve.  Nevertheless, this is the third Spring in a row
that a Nothern Waterthrush has graced this alley.)  I grabbed a little pair
of binoculars, and went out into the alley to find it.  Just as I located
the bird, I was surprised to hear a Gray-cheeked Thrush.  The Master Guide
to Birding suggests a difference between Bicknell's call and the
Gray-cheeked, where the Bicknell's call ends with a note on one pitch, and
the Gray-cheeked has a decending note.  This song definitely descended at
the end.  Are songs a reliable way to separate the two species?  (At least
for humans?)  Just for added fun, a Swainson's Thrush popped out of the
bushes beside the alley where I was walking, and before too long, I was
watching both the Swainson's and the Gray-cheeked (?) feeding together on
berries that had fallen on the road.  It was a good opportunity to compare
plumages, especially the buffy vs. bright white  tone to the breast.  This
noon, when returning from a meeting, I stepped outside into the same alley.
 Searching for a singing American Redstart, I found the Swainson's and the
Gray-cheeked back again, acting rather tamely.

--- Don Burggraf ---

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