I found this bird at the Tip at about 7:45 a.m. Kevin McLaughlin was at the extreme Tip, so I fetched him and took him back to the bird where we watched it at point-blank range for over an hour, sometimes at 10 feet or less. The bird often spent time hopping around in the open on the gravel trail. Dozens of photographs were obtained, and I just heard that Jeremy Hatt and Jeremy Bensette have collected some of its poop (!), which I presume can be analyzed for DNA (or whatever it is).
I have approached the identification of this bird with extreme caution, knowing well the potential problems with this "subtle" species (also I have no previous experience with the species). However, after looking at illustrations and online photos, I am totally confident that the bird is indeed a Bicknell's Thrush. There are precious few illustrations that portray the species accurately, but the one that is the best that I have seen so far is in Sibley. The Point Pelee bird even has reddish colouration extending onto the primaries (as shown in the Sibley app), and my photos show very short primary extensions. Other interesting features include the face which is not as darkish gray as on Gray-cheeked Thrush. The tail is distinctly dark reddish, contrasting with the rest of the underparts. No the bird is not a Hermit Thrush! The bird has been faithful all morning to the same location, so it likely will remain all day. No other thrushes were seen. As described by Todd Pepper in an earlier post, the bird is hanging out both north and south of the bench almost at the Tip, the one that is west-facing and about 200 metres north of the actual Tip. The bird is feeding both on the path, and also in the shrubs / rocks on the west side of the path. Alan Wormington, Leamington _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
