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Glen Tepke | profile | all galleries >> New England Notables >> Gray-cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush, Boston, Massachusetts, May 2004 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Gray-cheeked / Bicknell's Thrush, Boston, Massachusetts, May 2004

Catharus minimus/bicknelli. At the time I was taking these photos on the Boston Common on 5/20, I thought they all were of the same bird, but now I am not sure. Based on song and comments from other observers, I'm fairly certain that most of these shots are of the same Gray-cheeked Thrush, but shots 2, 3, 4 and 9 might be a different bird and might be Bicknell's Thrush. There was a second thrush there that morning that appeared to have a redder tail than the Gray-cheeked, but no one heard it vocalize and it could not be positively identified. Feel free to offer your opinion on the identity of any of them by clicking the comment link at the bottom of the page.
Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush
Gray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-cheeked Thrush

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veery (a thrush) 03-May-2005 20:43
Thrushes can be tough to ID in poor light, in different light, or against a different- colored background. A Bicknell's would be about an inch shorter and would have bolder spots (we can't see the spots of the questionables.) The throat of #2 looks similar to that of #8 and #10. There may have been a different species of thrush present, but I don't think you could say definitely that it's in one of these photos.
Chris Floyd 21-May-2004 19:19
Glen, I watched and listened to one of your birds today, 21 May, between 1300 and 1345. I am reasonably certain it was the same as your
photos 1 and 5-8, going by the fine pale points I could make out on most of the greater coverts, show well in all of these photos. I can't judge
photos 2-4, where the lighting is so much stronger. Anyway, the bird I heard is certainly a Gray-cheeked Thrush (not a Bicknell's). It was singing
virtually continuously; I'm sure I heard it sing well over 100 times, sometimes very loudly, enough that I could make it out over the din of scores
of teenagers rollicking around the monument! Wonderful! Less than a nickel a song for my $5 parking in the Common Garage!
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