28 Oct 2005 Carmel Highlands MTY [poor backlit photo] [that has been PhotoShop'd]

My field notes from 4 Nov 1997, Pfeiffer-Big Sur SP, MTY, read: "Found in a.m. by John & Sue Moremen who told Booker who went & "confirmed" & called SFB who called me. Steve & I went down & [we] found it rather quickly, and later refound it for [the BSOL] interns. A fairly large, stocky thrasher with long decurved bill, working in duff under coffeeberry bushes with bill. Bright rufous above from crown through tail (dullest on rump), white below with lots of black spots across breast in vague rows; plain rusty-brown face (I didn't see exact color of eye) set off by blackish malar stripes. Bold white wingbar to tips of greater coverts, less so to median coverts. Seemed constantly on the move under bushes and in poison oak."

The BROWN THRASHER is a rare vagrant to California, averaging about 7 birds per year. Most are fall vagrants but a fair number have wintered. There are a smattering of spring vagrants but summering individuals are exceptional.

All of my California records are listed below. Those preceded by H were found or co-found by me personally; those preceded by K receive some partial credit (e.g., I was involved in sorting out i.d. of a previously discovered bird or refound a vagrant that had been thought to have left). As with many eastern vagrants, many more were seen during active rarity chasing throughout the state in younger days, and a higher percentage of records are from my local county (MTY) in recent years. These are my personal Brown Thrasher records:

 

12/2/73	Fairfax MRN	at someone’s backyard feeder
3/13/76	Oakland ALA	at a feeder on Skyline Blvd.
6/8/77	Pt. Reyes MRN	at Fish Docks
2/16/80	Goleta SBA	at feeder
7/27/81	Carmel MTY	at Eleanor Mitchell feeder; an exceptional summering bird
5/25/91	near Scottys Castle INY	description in my notes
11/4/97	Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park MTY	description in notes (shown above)
10/28/05	Carmel Highlands MTY	at Chris Hartzell feeder; poor photo (above)

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