backyard nature watch

[click image to enlarge]

This afternoon I came home from rehearsal (don’t ask) to see both of our cats at the back window, making that strange chattering sound that we call “bird voice”. What you see above is what was strutting around our grassy area behind our apartment. I’d never seen a bird like this before, so I took a picture and emailed it to my friend, composer Daniel Ott (www.danielottmusic.com), who is a major birder.

Come to find out, this is a Varied Thrush, a relative of the common robin. Ordinarily they live in the highlands and mountains, as they’re cold weather birds. The strong and constant east winds must have blown this little guy out of the Cascades into the Willamette Valley. I hope he finds his way home – there are a lot of hungry outdoor cats around here, too!