Several people who responded to my e-mail about the Varied Thrush
suggested that I post the outcome on Tweeters, so here it is:

Saturday afternoon at about 2:00 I was talking on the phone when BAM!, a
Varied Thrush flew into the window. I ran outside and found the bird
sitting below the window in the snow. His eyes were open and blinking,
and I couldn't see any obvious signs of injury.

I picked the bird up carefully, and he even walked a step or two up my
arm. I gently put him in a paper grocery bag and brought him in the
house. I was told that it might take the bird two hours to recover and
to leave him alone in a dark, quiet place until he started scratching to
get out. Well, by dusk he still hadn't scratched. I peeked in the bag
and he was still blinking. I figured the bird would be better off in a
warm house than in the 19 degree weather overnight outside, so I decided
to release him the next morning if he was still alive.

I wanted to move the bag to a quieter, darker place than the living
room, but when I tried to pick up the bag, the thrush thrashed a little
inside and I was loathe to disturb it. My husband watched TV quietly in
the dark for a while and then we both retreated to the back of the house
so the bird could rest undisturbed.

Sunday morning I got up an hour before dawn, as I have been, to put out
the hummingbird feeders. 45 minutes before dawn, 11 Varied Thrushes
came to feed. They are the first birds to arrive every morning. I
thought I heard a low whistle coming from the bag in the living room, so
I decided to try releasing the bird even though it was only 21 degrees
outside and the sun hadn't risen yet.

The bird moved slightly inside the bag as I picked it up and carried it
to the plum tree. When I set the bag down and opened it, the bird shot
out and flew away so quickly that all I saw was a blur. Success!!

I really appreciate the advice and encouragement from the people who
wrote me. I especially enjoyed the musings of Suzanne Krom:

"He may have even enjoyed his first warm night in a very long time. He
may have remained still because of the dark or in response to potential
danger, as he would have perceived his situation with you. I can just
imagine how he was like a lightening bolt as he took off. He was working
off pure adrenaline and a good night's sleep, and he had all night to
strategize his escape. Wouldn't it be something to hear how he recounts
his great adventure to his brethren. I so wish I understood their
languages".

I feel lucky to be part of the birding community.

Linda Bainbridge
Whidbey Island