Brown Thrasher hot weather behavior

[Sean S]

Today 3 Brown Thrashers were hopping around, feeding and exploring the back yard in a way more comparable to the way Catbirds act than the usual secretive skulking associated with this species.  This leads me to believe that very hot weather motivates this atypical behavior, as back in the 1990s I observed 10-12 Brown Thrashers acting the same way on a scorching July day, hopping and clowning around under lawn sprinklers at a house adjacent to Portland Head Light.  It's always cool to see them out  in the open.

Sean Smith

Hiram