Brown Thrashers again

One or two brown thrashers have visited the feeder regularly the last few days. Usually they stay on the ground below the feeder but today one actually flew onto the feeder. Usually these birds are rather shy and this is the first year I have had so many sightings. It seems as if they come to feeder on a more or less regular basis.

Brown Thrasher falling off feeder?

Well that may be what it looks like but he was just flying down to the ground to feed. I have seen a thrasher several mornings lately. The thrasher attacks the sunflower seeds like a woodpecker Perhaps he breaks the seed open by savagely thrusting at it. Other birds seem to crack the seeds in their beaks. Usually I only have a brief glimpse of a brown thrasher once or twice a year but this year at least one seems to have decided my feeder is a good place to fill up. The thrasher rarely actually goes onto the feeder as happened here. There is little room and no room to wind up for a big peck.

A lone brown thrasher..

I took this photo of the thraser through the window and between ornaments on the windowsill as the bird was almost directly under the window. I usually only see a thrasher once or twice a year. I was lucky to get a photo of any kind!

Brown Thrasher

I managed to get a photo of the brown thrasher who visited this morning. There must have been strong wind overnight as the feeder was blown off the platform. There is glare from the window but you can clearly see the thrasher's rusty tail. It looks rather well fed. This is the first thrasher I have seen this year. They never seem to appear in any numbers.
Today house sparrows are back in force and along with them quite a few pine siskins.