Chirps and Cheeps

Autumn not only brings warblers back through our area in their southward migration, but thrushes also move through Western New York in the fall.  One of my favorite thrushes, the subtly marked Veery, very shyly emerged from the woods and approached our bird bath the other day.  I was in an awkward spot on the deck and I didn't dare move so as to frighten the wary bird.  Eventually, the veery must have felt safe enough to hop into the water and splash around.  It gave me a delightful show!  Unfortunately, though, my camera was sitting inside the house and I was stuck like a statue - entirely mesmerized with this rare scene.  I vowed next time I wouldn't be caught without my camera!

Sure enough, only a few days later, I had another chance to get some "bath shots" when a Gray-cheeked Thrush displaced a catbird at the bird bath.  This time, camera at-the-ready, I got many fun shots of the little guy splashing around.  Since Gray-cheeked Thrushes are not very abundant in spring or the fall, I thought I'd share a few of the photos I captured of this infrequent visitor.