ML624431234

Observation details

First seen as it flew in and landed on the ground in the shade under a mulberry tree. Lucky encounter when I went out to check the mail! Excellent views for about five minutes through binoculars. Thrasher was about 20 feet from me. Soaked in some amazing views and when it flew to the front yard, I snuck back in the house to get my camera. When I got back outside, I couldn’t find it for a few minutes and then turned back toward backyard, and there it was again in the shade of the mulberry tree. Got a couple of very marginal photos from that vantage, and then it flew off a few hundreds meters to the south into the park and perched on a fence near a large Valley Oak. I was able to get into the Sandy Creek arroyo and sneak south out of view of the bird and when I popped up to a position with a good view got lucky and the thrasher hung out - for perhaps ten minutes. Got nice photos (despite extreme heat, about 107 F at the time) and watched the bird for about ten minutes until it flew to the west. It was last seen in flight toward the new park entrance sign, dropping down toward the bushes to the west of the park sign.