Varied Thrush in Herndon, Virginia!!

February 5th a very, very rare bird showed up in a Herndon, Virginia backyard owned by Steve Bershader. On top of what was then well over three feet of snow and feeding from below the suet feeders was a varied thrush (click link for more info). This bird is from the Pacific Coast of the United States from Alaska down to southern California, but for some reason, this adult male showed up in the eastern United States and picked a great yard to do it. This is the 12th record of a varied thrush in Virginia. I just recently learned about the bird through the VA birds listserve and today was the first day I was able to make a drive down. I arrived at the house at 8:50am and walked inside the kitchen and along with two other birders and Steve Bershader watched patiently for the thrush, which hadnt been seen since 7:45am earlier in the day. At 9:45am it returned, landing first in an American holly tree and then working its way down the branches, then jumped onto the ground and began picking up seeds. After a few minutes it flew away, but then returned about a half hour later for another quick visit. I stayed till 11:45 and then decided it was time to go, cause I had to be back in Mont Alto for class. The varied thrush was a lifer for me (#512) and was also my 101st bird species so far this year!

varied thrush varied thrush

The Bershader's backyard was a wonderful oasis for many species of birds. While I was there, I counted twenty-one different kinds of birds! Here is a photo showing the varied thrush along with a blue jay and white-breasted nuthatch.

At one point, there was a hermit thrush (pictured below), an American robin, and the varied thrush all together on the ground around the feeders. Three thrushes at once! Here is the American robin, wishing he was a varied thrush.....
This female pileated woodpecker spent more than twenty minutes eating from the suet feeder and fending off other birds that wanted some.

This male red-bellied woodpecker along with a female were constantly within sight of the feeder. Many downy woodpeckers came into the backyard for suet, like this male. There were also yellow-bellied sapsuckers in the pines around the yard.
Carolina chickadees were quite plentiful, including this friendly one.
This lone brown creeper kept coming into the yard, but I never saw it get any food, because as soon as it would fly in, another bird would chase it away......

white-breasted nuthatch
blue jay
male house finch
This adult male American goldfinch is starting to get some of it's bright yellow feathers, indicating that breeding season is just around the corner. Between this, the many groundhogs I saw today, and the warm weather, it almost felt like spring.....