Brown Thrasher
This morning I heard a Brown Thrasher's music again, for the first time since April...
When the Brown Thrasher first arrived in early spring, he sang constantly.
As usual, he sang with more variety than any other bird. He sounds like a whole flock of birds, all saying something different. But it’s just the one guy. He does have a lot to say. Here’s a short selection I recorded.
How he sing-sings
He sings a short phrase of one or two syllables. He sings it twice. Then a different phrase. Again, he sings it twice, or sometimes three times. And on to another phrase.
I try to make up words to match the rhythm: to eat, to eat — bir-dy-bird — chuck-chuck-chuck — wake up! wake up! — crock-crock — pits-you, pits-you.
The tendency to double his phrases tips me off that this is a Brown Thrasher. The enormous variety in the song confirms it. Ornithologist Donald Kroodsma studied the Brown Thrasher and found it sang thousands of unique songs, the biggest repertoire of any North American bird.
He stops singing
However, as usual, I didn’t get to enjoy the Brown Thrasher’s singing for long. Within three days, he found a mate. As soon as she accepted him, his music stopped cold. It had done its job.
Parent Brown Thrashers can keep a secret. The location of the nest is a matter of life or death for their helpless babies. During the time that the thrasher pair was nesting, I saw them only occasionally.
Sometimes on the hottest summer days, one of the parents would come to the birdbath. Now and then I spotted them walking on the lawn looking for grubs. Then I might glimpse them carrying food to their young hidden in a thicket. Mostly they stayed out of sight.
And they were very, very quiet.
Brown Thrashers succeed
However, the last few days, I've seen baby Brown Thrashers out in the open, begging for food from their parents. That means that the eggs hatched, and the babies fledged. The parents managed to keep their secret, despite cats, raccoons, snakes, hawks, and all the other animals that hunt for birds’ nests.
When they leave the nest, fledgeling Brown Thrashers weigh about 2/3 as much as their parents, and the parents keep taking care of them for another two or three weeks. This is the stage when the babies visit my porch and beg for food from their parents. I get to exult in the success of the nest.
Second time around
This morning the male was singing again, with his distinctive pattern of doubled phrases. But it didn’t sound like the loud advertisement for a prospective partner, such as I heard in spring.
This was soft, coming from deep within a shady hedge. It sounded like the male Brown Thrasher was singing only for the ears of his mate. It sounded like sweet persuasion.“We did well raising our family. What do you say we do it again?”
Oh sweet Diane! I think your posts are all I should read on my device. Forget the news and social media. From now on, I’m just going to you, and the birds! 😚
I love brown thrashers and they've been coming to my feeders more this season. Now I'm on the lookout for fledglings! Thanks Diane!