[All photographs copyright, Gary Nunn 2014] – I am a big fan of thrashers so when Eric Kallen reported a Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum in Jacumba, on 30 October 2014, I quickly made my way over there to check it out. I rolled in to Jacumba’s Community Park, literally a stone’s throw away from the ominous looking international border fence, and there was Eric sitting patiently on a picnic bench. Eric’s outstretched finger, pointed at the distant fence line, clearly indicated this was not going to be a nail-biting wait around! I quickly jumped out of the car to see my first county Brown Thrasher scratching around among dead leaves under a cottonwood tree. We watched it searching for invertebrates in the bone dry ground beneath the cottonwoods before it hopped off deeper into some fence-line vine tangles. That was easy! Eric and I wandered off together to get some lunch and celebrate his continuing great rare bird finds in Jacumba. Certainly a rare species to encounter here, Brown Thrasher occurs about once every couple of years in San Diego County. It is currently considered a Category B rarity in the county by San Diego Field Ornithologists.
Brown Thrasher – Jacumba, San Diego County, California 30 Oct 2014 (© Gary Nunn)
Brown Thrasher – Jacumba, San Diego County, California 30 Oct 2014 (© Gary Nunn)
Brown Thrasher – Jacumba, San Diego County, California 30 Oct 2014 (© Gary Nunn)
Brown Thrasher – Jacumba, San Diego County, California 30 Oct 2014 (© Gary Nunn)
Brown Thrasher – Jacumba, San Diego County, California 30 Oct 2014 (© Gary Nunn)
Brown Thrasher – Jacumba, San Diego County, California 30 Oct 2014 (© Gary Nunn)
Brown Thrasher – Jacumba, San Diego County, California 30 Oct 2014 (© Gary Nunn)
It was wonderful for that Brown Thrasher to turn his head for a
glamore shot. Your pix make my day, and sometimes inspire
my artwork.
I would love to see more blue footed boobys if they arrive again.
The Galopagos Islands are too far to travel & you need a boat. I assume
that is not the case in Ca.
FYI – and I have been in touch with Eric about this.
Have had a Brown Thrasher in Descanso for the last couple of weeks, and a friend of mine says she’s seen one as well a couple of miles from me. Must be the year for them. I have bad pictures – none so wonderful as these – but am confident of my ID. Was very surprised. When he showed up in the yard, I thought, “What the H?”
Hi Cindy, there does seem to be an outbreak of Brown Thrasher sightings this year! Sounds like you made a great find. Feel free to send me any photographs that you obtained.
-Gary
Brown thrasher sighting today in Oceanside 11/2/2015