Michael

I don't know whether this will help or not. I do know, for a fact, that
one of the southern limits for the nesting territory of this bird is in
the southern portion of the Fraser Canyon north of the town of Hope in
BC.

I have never actually looked at one through binocs, how ever they stick
out like a sore thumb to the naked eye. The simplest description would
be, a Hermit Thrush whose back is all the same color as it tail.

I am not familiar with the distribution of other races of Veery that may
be migrating through and as I am not working in my usual route, at the
moment, I have not been able to keep tabs on their arrival on nesting
territory.

Roger Craik

Michael Dossett wrote:
>
> Hi Tweets,
----
> I do have a sighting which could be called problematic at best. I saw
> what is possibly a Veery. I suppose I should outline my points for and
> against this I.D.
>
> I got fairly close to this bird. At one point I was almost 6 feet
> directly under it. Again, I did not have my bins with me. The bird
> did not have an eye-ring (that I could see). In addition it was not
> very streaked/spotted. Atleast it wasn't nearly as much as I would
> expect to see on a Hermit Thrush or a Swainson's thrush. The breast
> was also a warm buffy color which rules out hermit but not Swainson's.
> What little streaking was there was not dark, they were faint and
> somewhat indistinct. The back (which incidentally enough I saw the
> most of, next to the belly and breast) was a warmer color than I would
> expect on a Swainson's. Finally, I would just like to say that it
> looked like the Veerys which I saw when I used to live in St. Louis.
>
> On the other hand...points why I don't feel very comfortable calling
> this a Veery...
>
> It never made a noise so I couldn't even compare contact notes or songs
> with other thrushes or previous experience. I didn't have my bins with
> me. Veery is rare on this side of the mountains (and uncommon at best
> in most of eastern Washington as well.)
>
>--------
> Michael Dossett
> Bothell
> Phainopepla at yahoo.com
>
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