Birding Dude: Stuyvesant Varied Thrush NYC...

I got off to a later start than I would have liked but I made out to Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan today where I caught up with a splendid looking Varied Thrush that was found on Sunday by Louise Fraza and Pearl Broder. I have not rode the L Train in years and that is what I took to the 1st Avenue stop, which put me on 14th Street. A few blocks north to 18th Street and then I was making my way towards the area known as the Oval.

I did not have long to look as I spotted Peter Post with his photography gear and after a few minutes of waiting, I got looks at one fine looking Varied Thrush. The bird was active but shy only coming out in the open a few times. During my observation, I was trying to figure out what it might be eating and several times I saw it with a peanut in its bill and even managed a photo showing that. Several other birders joined the few of us that were there including a few that I knew like Tom Fiore. Some folks unfortunately missed the bird because it became less active after a Sharp-shinned Hawk showed up. Once the Sharpie made its presence know, the VATH disappeared into the shrubs and was not seen for over 45 minutes and still was not when I left around 2:45 pm. This was not a year bird for me, having seen the Prospect Park bird earlier in the year but who could resist seeing such a beauty. If you have not made it out as yet to see this bird, maybe a few of my photos below will convince you to make the trip.