Subject: Re: Hermit thrush
Date: Feb 15 09:41:56 1996
From: PAGODROMA at aol.com - PAGODROMA at aol.com


In a message dated 96-02-15 02:37:27 EST, Emily Mandelbaum writes:

>
>Yesterday there was a hermit thrush in my yard, hanging around a
>rhododendron, walking and pecking a bit in my flower and vegetable garden.
>Are these common yard birds? Never seen one here before.
>We also saw 6 western sandpipers at Magnuson last Wednesday.
>

At least a few hermit thrushes winter here in the western Washington
lowlands, albeit very uncommon to rare, or perhaps just very inconspicuous.
Most of those I've seen in winter have been during snowy and/or prolonged
frozen periods. Several were seen in Volunteer Park during the big
Thanksgiving weekend snow storm back in 1986, associated with varied thrushes
and robins, in sunny melt patches under bushes and holly. I've seen one in
my yard during a freeze, and more recently, Grant Hendrickson and I found two
at Lake Sammamish State Park during the recent week of freezing temperatures,
one of which was conspicuously out foraging and 'skating' around on the ice
along the edge of the lake.

Richard Rowlett <pagodroma at aol.com>
Bellevue, WA, USA