Mountain Thrush

[Puck]

The August issue of Birder's World has an artcile by Garth McElroy about his trip up Mt Jefferson to photograph Bicknell's Thrush. This bird is 'common' in between 2200 and 4200 ft. I was watching one during my stay at the Perch. It has a beautiful etherial song.

It is a species of concern because of loss of winter habitat in the tropics and mercury poisoning in the mountain due to pollution. There are programs that encourage people to report and monitor populations in the mountains in the months of June and July. Seems like it requires little effort but helps alot.

http://www.vinsweb.org/cbd/mtn_birdwatch.html

 

[Tom Rankin]

The August issue of Birder's World has an artcile by Garth McElroy about his trip up Mt Jefferson to photograph Bicknell's Thrush. This bird is 'common' in between 2200 and 4200 ft. I was watching one during my stay at the Perch. It has a beautiful etherial song.

It is a species of concern because of loss of winter habitat in the tropics and mercury poisoning in the mountain due to pollution. There are programs that encourage people to report and monitor populations in the mountains in the months of June and July. Seems like it requires little effort but helps alot.

http://www.vinsweb.org/cbd/mtn_birdwatch.html

Absolutely!

The Catskill 3500 club exists in part due to an effort to study Bicknell's Thrush. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catskill_High_Peaks

My son and I participated in 3 observations a few years back, before he went off to school to become an ornithologist. One was negative, but on the other 2, we observed the Thrush (as well as a few other threatened species) successfully.

(And I just drove by the VINS Headquarters Sunday.)

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Thanks for posting the link. Bicknell's Thrush do have an interesting song. I have often heard them in the Catskills. I will need to start noting the dates and locations.

Tom was faster at posting the Catskill 3500 connection. Another reference from the same source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catskill_Mountain_3500_Club#History

 

[Puck]

Thanks for the info on the Catskills...what an impressive history. These mountains are of course mentioned in the article.

 

[forestgnome]

I enjoyed the song of mountain thrush as I descended King Ravine on the Great Gully Trail last Saturday afternoon. The sound was one of the main ingredients of an absolutely magical leg of my hike. I spent two hours on that trail.