One of the joys of photographing birds is the unexpected bird that shows up on your computer screen, as happened to me this morning. I was on one of my usual two-mile loops at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm, walking the trail counterclockwise, when I spotted a couple of bluebirds in a tree with small red berries.
The bluebirds were a small surprise in that I usually see them in other parts of the park. But through my binoculars and a quick check of the first few shots I took on my camera, I could see they were definitely bluebirds. When a third bird flew into the tree, I figured it was one more bluebird.
At home, I brought up my photos on the screen and was pleased to see the image topping this post. The bird’s right wing is extended, and its beak is snatching one of the berries.
The bird’s head, however, had what appeared to be the barest minimum of blue for an Eastern bluebird. Then I noticed the streaked breast and finally the eye ring. That’s not a bluebird, I thought, it’s a hermit thrush!
While hermit thrushes are not unknown at the Pole Farm, I sight them infrequently. To erase any lingering doubts, I put the photos into Merlin, which confirmed hermit thrush.
When I added the thrush to my e-Bird report, I was surprised again. The hermit thrush was, logically, listed under Thrushes. But so were the Eastern bluebirds, which if I’d known were thrushes I had forgotten.
Speaking of bluebirds, I was able to get a couple of photos of them in the same tree that the hermit thrush had visited. The shots were tricky because the bluebirds were most of the time perched amid small branches.
It was difficult to get a clear shot, and I was pleased that my Canon R7 had managed to focus sharply on the birds’ eyes for a few well-focused shots. They give me hope that I’m starting to improve in mastering the auto-focus capabilities of the camera.
On the home stretch of my walk back to my car, I encountered another bluebird surprisingly close to me. I was able to get off a couple of over-its-shoulder shots before it flew off. A few minutes later, a Northern flicker flew into the row of trees but took off before I could raise my camera.
While I missed a flicker shot, I have the thrush and bluebirds to remember the day by. No complaints! 🦅
The Jersey Birder 