Dennis expressed a bit of surprise at a Sharpie taking a Varied Thrush.

Of course, I didn't seen ~anything~ chasing the window kill last night. The take
at the bird bath a couple years ago was by an "almost certain" Sharpie. I was
~very~ certain of the Sharpie that took the Varied Thrush on our porch - clear,
close view of face, head and back, and a good look at those spindly legs. When
he flew off with the thrush, it was a real struggle, barely staying above ground
as he crossed 70 feet of yard into the woods.

When I picked up the Varied Thrush last night, I was surprised at how light the
bird is relative to my experiences picking up Robins. That's not a very
scientific weighing, but I had the clear impression that the VATH is a much
lighter bird. (This was an adult female) Even though the published sizes of the
two species are very close (+- 1/2") I wonder if the thrush isn't typically much
lighter than the Robin.

Anybody weighed any lately?

Jerry


E-mail from: Jerry Blinn, 29-Oct-1996