By George Sirk

Yep, they’re back from Venezuela, and secretly at dawn and dusk, are singing in a melancholic, flute-like, upward spiralling cascade. Their call note, a simple “whit”, is easily imitated and can often draw the bird out. They are arrive fairly late, usually late April early May, and leave by end of September. Enjoy their songs now as their territorial imperative diminishes as summer progresses.

Robin, Varied Thrush & Hermit Thrush

We have three other ‘thrushes’ here; our Robin, the Varied Thrush and the transient Hermit Thrush. Robins are easy to identify, but their song is often not acknowledged for it’s beauty. It and the Varied Thrush are both resident although the bulk of the Robin population does migrate south. The Varied’s song is that eery ringing we hear. Kind of a metallic, ‘drill’ that some say is like a telephone ring deep in the forest. Its plumage is like a Robin’s but with a black chest band and a stripe of orange over the eye. Secretive.

The last one, the Hermit, is much like the Swainson‘s in look, but with an obvious rufous tail. As the name so aptly implies, it’s secretive and a true wanderer through Cortes. Look for it in April and then again in Sept. It nests in high forests in the mountain tops along the coast.

Get the kids out at dusk to listen to the Swainson’s, we’re lucky to have them! (ha-ha, both the kids and the birds!)