A Brown Thrasher at Carden Alvar

brown thrasher, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 5

Our first time visiting the Carden Alvar had Bob and me astonished by the myriad sounds of nature that combined into a marvelous symphony:  choruses of frogs, whirring of Wilson’s Snipes, echoing conk-la-rees from the Red-winged Blackbirds, and Savannah Sparrows raising their voice in song.  On several occasions, all were overshadowed by another lively bit of birdsong that had us mystified…until we finally spotted this Brown Thrasher.

brown thrasher, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 1

The Brown Thrasher spent long intervals singing in the top of a leafless tree near Windmill Ranch.  The way the day had turned from brilliant sunshine to a totally dark sky had us wondering if Thrashers can sing up a storm like American Robins are said to do.

brown thrasher, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 3

Once before, Bob and I had the opportunity to observe a Brown Thrasher in late winter at Lynde Shores in Whitby.  That individual remained huddled beneath a throng of branches provided by a fallen tree, but its plumage was illuminated beautifully by a stray bit of sunshine.  The pretty rusty red plumage of the Brown Thrasher seen above could not be appreciated as easily given its lofty perch, but boy oh boy did Bob and I ever revel in its lengthy song.

brown thrasher, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 4

Earlier in the afternoon, when hearing the loud series of musical phrases strung together by an unseen bird, we wondered at first if it was a Mockingbird or Catbird.  Turned out it was a Brown Thrasher contributing its vocalizations to the singsong of all the other birds.  It is more often a male Thrasher that will sing on a bare branch on high, and during spring breeding season is when his repertoire will be at its finest.  No wonder we were treated to such a pleasing performance.

brown thrasher, carden alvar, city of kawartha lakes, ontario, pic 2

Perhaps ten minutes passed while Bob and I stood captivated by the Brown Thrasher, our feet riveted to the rough gravel surface of the road for fear of scaring the bird away.  Alas, it finally took flight just as we were about to start recording its pleasing string of notes.  If you would like to hear a Brown Thrasher sing, check out this Youtube link:

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A Blanding’s Turtle at the Carden Alvar

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Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean

2 comments

  • The Thrasher song is amazing! We have some around our yard every year, and went through just what you describe a couple of years ago, not expecting the usually shy Brown Thrasher to be so incredibly vocal.

    • Once, many years ago, we had a Brown Thrasher visit our suburban backyard. Never before had I seen such a large and attractive bird on my property. It was not until we saw the Thrasher singing at Carden Alvar that we realized these birds could perform such a beautiful song. Thank you for reading our blog and giving your feedback. It is much appreciated.