Help with Thrush ID
bunting...@gmail.com
Today I got up early for anther birding trip and drove down
to Chico Basin Ranch. I arrived to find a herd of Black Tailed Jackrabbits active
around the entrance. I saw several birds but one thing that has me stumped however is a thrush I found at the HQ area. I got
one photo before it flew away. Looking at the photo and Sibley’s Field guide I
think it was either a Hermit Thrush or a Veery, but I am unsure. Can someone
help me ID this bird? The photo is on the Pueblo County Side checklist. Habitat was marshy Cottonwoods. Some of the highlights include hearing Virginia Rail at Twin Ponds (Pueblo County),
two Green-tailed Towhees, Scaled Quail, and Curve-billed Thrashers, which I have been before but still love.
Thanks
Brian Johnson,
Englewood CO
Englewood CO
El Paso County, http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29424883
Pueblo County Side, with Thrush Photo, http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29425092
Alec Hopping
The buffy cast to the face (including "spectacles") and consistent cool olive color of the upperparts and tail -unlike the rufous tones of Hermit Thrush and Veery- make this bird an "Olive-backed" Swainson's Thrush, which is the expected subspecies on the CO Eastern Plains. Hermit Thrush would also show contrast between the color of the tail and the mantle, which this bird does not.
Best,
Alec Hopping
Littleton CO