Brown Thrashers on the Refuge

The brown thrasher is a remarkable bird for a number of reasons and was selected to represented our bird banding station for this Experiment. This bird may seem a strange choice as the species is distributed largely in the eastern US and considered only a casual visitor here in the far west. But despite the rareness of the brown thrasher in California we have captured and banded two individuals on our Keyhole banding site on the Stone Lakes NWR.

The first event was a very unusual summer record in July 2008 and the second occurred in October of 2012, both captures just a few meters apart. The summer record was remarkable enough that we prepared a short article for the Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin (see link below).

As winter begins some members of the brown thrasher population are known to make annual migrations from the northern parts of their range in Canada to warmer locations in the south. So perhaps our October capture represents a wayward winter migrant, but our July capture remains a conundrum.

The Keyhole site consists of woodland edge habitat with open grassland and adjacent riparian thickets along a lake shore. Brown thrashers are known to skulk in dark tangles and dense woods so perhaps these birds found the Keyhole habitat most suitable for a rest during their journey.

The capture of brown thrashers on the Refuge and particularly on the Keyhole site represents for us a striking example of the kind of information that continuous effort mist netting can generate. Information not just of surprising migrants or lost vagrants but also information on the value that various habitats on the Refuge provides for migrant and for resident birds. Rest stops along the Pacific Flyway like the Stone Lakes NWR are essential for the success of migrating birds and wayward birds alike.

cvbirds.org/files/V.11no.4/11(4)77-82.Wright&Manolis2008.pdf