[EBB Sightings] [Fwd: Sage Thrasher near Garin Park in Hayward]

Re-sending earlier e-mail.


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Sage Thrasher near Garin Park in Hayward
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 09:52:38 -0800
From: Debbie Wong and Tadd Ottman 
Reply-To: t_ottman at pacbell.net
To: East Bay Birds 


All,

Around 8:30am today, 11/22, I found a SAGE THRASHER in my
backyard off Garin Ave in Hayward.

The bird was at the top of a hedge, feathers fluffed up.
The bird was brownish grey on crown, nape, and back.  It
had dark grey legs, a dark pointy straight bill with a
complete eye ring and yellow irises.  It also had off-white
wingbars (the top wingbar was much heavier than the lower
one) and heavy and bold streaking on the flanks and breast.
The throat was white / light with dark malar stripe and
dark edging in the lower corner of the auricular (not a
well-defined moustachial stripe).

Since my digital camera was at work, I scrambled to find
an SLR camera before going into the yard to take pictures.
When the bird flew, it showed white on the corners of the
tail feathers.

Overall, the bird was darker grey than shown in Sibley.

Due to the proximity of our house to Garin Park, we have
had Western Bluebird, Say's Phoebe, and Lincoln's Sparrow
as yard birds, but this is a new yard bird for us.

The SAGE THRASHER was with a flock of sparrows, White-crowned
and Golden-crowned.  I was checking the sub-species of the
White-crowned Sparrow when I discovered the thrasher.


Debbie Wong