I spotted this fluffy Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)on New Year’s Day at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In this frigid weather, all of the birds seem unusually round as they try to retain their body heat.
I don’t recall ever seeing a Hermit Thrush before, but when I did a search in my blog, I was surprised to discover that I had photographed one in December 2016 eating berries—here is a link to that posting. At that time I could not identify the species and asked for assistance. I guess I did not internalize the identification very well, for I ended up asking for help in a Facebook forum again.
It is funny how we associate certain words with memories from out childhoods. When I hear the word “Thrush,” I immediately think of the “enemy” organization in the television series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” According to a page on the IMDb website, “In the series, the organization was merely called Thrush. Ace paperbacks, which published a series of paperback novels based on the show, had one installment in which Thrush stood for The Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity.”
This winter I am spending more time outdoors and it is exciting to discover how many birds and other little creatures are active, even in the most inclement, inhospitable weather. The challenge for me is to stay motivated and dressed warmly enough to be able to spot and photograph these little beauties, like this Hermit Thrush, that may have traveled south to winter with us.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very nice image of the thrush with those red twigs. You’ll need that motivation, or better yet stay in, as today’s winter storm thrashes you.
We got a couple of inches of snow and the government is on a two hour delay and many schools are closed. Today’s a work day for me, so I’ll carefully make my way along the icy roads in a while. Things are a little crazy in the Washington DC area when it snows, but fortunately traffic should be light today.
Hope you had a safe trip back and forth. We are completely shut down from the six inches we got yesterday. There is no local equipment to remove the snow and the ice and cold are hampering all clean up efforts.
Lovely photo! 😊
Thanks, Marit. It’s always gratifying to get a clear shot of small birds like this one.