Hermit Thrush--NYC

Back to birding again!!! I went out at 7:30 for a walk in Central Park with Starr Saphir--a wonderful free-lance birding guide who was my initial inspiration both for my birding, and (starting in 2001) for my bird photography. I hadn't gone on a walk with her for at least a couple of years, what with living in Massachusetts and traveling elsewhere--but she and her colleague Lenore greeted me with the utmost warmth.

Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) are a medium-sized thrush, perhaps most clearly distinguished by their reddish tail (only partially visible here). They migrate through New York City--most have passed through on their way north, But we saw at least a dozen today. Central Park is a wonderful place to bird, especially during spring and fall migrations .