California Thrasher

I saw my first California thrasher in Live Oak Canyon near my home in Redlands, California. I was sitting under a bridge that goes over Oak Glen Creek that connects Live Oak Canyon Road with the north side of Live Oak Canyon. I looked behind me and saw a bird with a weirdly decurved bill and thought that I was perhaps seeing my first California thrasher. I photographed my first one in Live Oak Canyon, just below Oakmont Park, standing on a large bush, on January 18, 2021. But the first time I "really" saw one was at Big Morongo Preserve near the feeders on May 21, 2022. A thrasher was running in and out of the bushes near the feeders and eating bird seed on the ground. I was amazed to see this elusive bird so clearly. I have subsequently seen them quite a few times at those feeders and also away from the feeders in large bushes. On May 30, 2029 I was with my son, Sam, and wife, Judy, at the UC Santa Cruz Botanical Garden and got a great view of two of them standing together in a small tree. they don't feel so elusive now. 

Wikipedia notes, "This species' behavior is difficult to observe because it tends to keep hidden in dense cover. In the open it runs swiftly with its tail raised. The California thrasher has a distinct foraging behavior, often seeking food under dense and continuous cover. It primarily forages on the ground, making up approximately two-thirds of its foraging activity." Further, "The California thrasher forages mostly on the ground, by digging and sweeping leaf litter and soil with its bill. It walks or hops between foraging stops. Its diet in spring is almost exclusively insects and other small invertebrates, to which it adds small soft fruits during the rest of the year. When feeding on fruits it can be in exposed situations, but is often under cover. The California thrasher has a distinct foraging behavior characterized by its habit of searching for food beneath dense and continuous cover. A significant portion of its foraging activity, around two-thirds, is conducted on the ground. The bird's choice of foraging grounds reflects its adaptation to the dense shrubbery and undergrowth common in its habitat." Birds of the World notes, "The California Thrasher is endemic to coastal and foothill areas of California, extending with the chaparral vegetation of the California Biotic Province into adjacent areas of northwest Baja California."

Following are various photos I have taken:

My first photo of one, in Live Oak Canyon. 

My first photos of one at Big Morongo. 

 

At Big Morongo on June 14, 2022. 

At Big Morongo on October 1, 2022. 

At the UC Santa Cruz Botanical Garden on March 30, 2029.

Range from Birds of the World. 

Illustration from Birds of the World.