‘California Thrasher’ 8” x 8” acrylic on panel
The California Thrasher was so beautiful amongst the fall leaves and berries I was inspired to try a painting. This small piece was done directly off of Dave’s photo.
California Thrasher
During the spring, this bird is very noisy, singing from trees and bush tops to make others aware of its territory or perhaps availability. Thrashers are members of the bird family Mimidae which includes mockingbirds and many know how noisy mockingbirds can be.
In the autumn, this bird is generally quiet and skulks around in dark edges of, forests or in heavy brush. This one came out in the open because the red berries shown in the photo are an inviting morsel.
Western Stone Nuthatch
As Floy has mentioned we have been away for about three weeks. Our trip through Southern Turkey was not a birding expedition, but I did what I could in the way of bird photography much to the chagrin of our fellow travelers. I tried not to hold up the group, but sometimes it was not easy.
Wherever we went that had stone ruins we would hear this strange call that sounded vaguely like a Canyon Wren. It took awhile to locate the source, but eventually I found it usually perched on the top of an ancient structure. It has big powerful claws and hangs vertically, high on stone faces. Meet the Western Stone Nuthatch found in a relatively narrow band from Croatia east to Iran.
Unfortunately I did not have my usual birding camera, so this photo will have to do.