Finally a Brown Thrasher!

Ah, a little relief tonight, I don't have to be thinking "how the heck will I get a Brown Thrasher?" like I have every day for the last few weeks!  After I got American Avocet in Texas which was my true nemesis bird for the longest time, Brown Thrasher became my new nemesis bird.  I've searched in many places for them, but they've avoided me for the longest time..until today!

This evening I headed for Shenandoah Nat. Park, not really a trip for the Junior Big Year, actually, the main focus was to look for Black Bears.  No Black Bears, but it did make a nice impact on the big year!  While photographing a skunk (out of all things!), I heard rustling in the brush.  Then it flew.  Then another one followed behind.  I got enough of a look to make the ID.  BROWN THRASHER!  Now I was hot after the bird, I wanted a better look and a photo.  I heard the rustling, I saw them fly again..but that wasn't the real deal.  I still wanted that "classic Brown Thrasher perched on a branch" that I saw dozens of times last year.  "SHpshPshPshPushPshPuSHU" "PishUEShu PSst, PSst", I was trying to pish the thrashers out into the open.  No luck.  What am I going to do?  Well, I decided to do something I don't usually do and do a "full pish" and pish REALLY loudly and strongly.  "PISHPSHFUSHPISHPSHPSH".   That finally caught one of them's attention enough and he/she hoped up onto a branch.  The lighting, angle, and view was against me, but I still managed a partially-obstructed photo (see above).

What an important and good bird to get!

Until later,

KestrelSwan

The current running total for my year is 247 species!