Today we feature two shots of the same bird. Why? Because it was super-rare (for our region) and Birder 2011 and Emil Baumbach got great shots of it. Here’s what Birder2011 said about the sighting: “A Sage Thrasher is bringing some excitement to the midwest. A Forest Preserve worker (non-birder) saw this unusual bird sitting near some shrubs. He had the insight to realize that it was different and took a quick photo of it to show to a birding friend. This friend saw that this was a special bird for our area and identified it as a Sage Thrasher. The Sage Thrasher is the smallest thrasher in the family. Its habitat is in sagebrush plains (hence the name) in the western part of the United States. How it got here is anyone’s guess. But for now, he is bringing a lot of enjoyment for us mid-westerners.”
Here’s Birder2011’s closeup of the Sage Thrasher:
Emil Baumbach’s pic is equally great and explained that the bird was eating Buckthorn (an invasive plant) berries and grasshoppers.
PS – We were down in Alabama and Florida when the Sage Thrasher was found and we noticed that it stuck around there right up until we headed back. We left Nashville and saw that the bird was once again reported that morning, so when we hit Chicago instead of going home, we went right to Hidden Lake Forest Preserve. After searching for 45 minutes it appeared! After a high-five for finding this Lifer we headed home and unpacked.
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