Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

The Hermit Thrush is one of the hardiest Thrushes in its family, prefering to winter in the U.S. as far North as New England, eeking out a survival among the native and ornamental berries. They are typcially found in larger flocks of other birds such as American Robin or White-throated Sparrows. Recently at Vosburgh’s Marsh in Greene County, NY, I “spished” at a group of sparrows in the underbrush and the first bird to pop out was a Hermit Thrush. Given how mild and snowless the winter has been thus far, I was not surprised to see one at this location (a spot nortorius for half-hardies). I was more surprised however to see it sit still long enough for me to photograph him/her. With the rest of the world a dead brown and gray color, the rufous on the tail looked like it was blazing when I saw the bird in real life. Sometimes, no matter how good a photo is, nothing beats seeing a bird with your own eyes.