In a contest for the most beautiful local bird, the Varied Thrush would certainly be among the finalists.
The Varied Thrush, a bird of the western cordillera, is more common around the Lake in spring and summer than in fall and winter. More information and pictures of local thrushes are found on the Kootenay Lake website.
Yet it is also one of our most difficult birds to approach or photograph. Unlike its cousin the robin, it is skittish. If it knows you are in the vicinity, it flies deep into a thicket and presents its backside. The trick, then, is to not let it know you are anywhere around.
My best pictures so far of this bird were taken this morning. They are of a male. I have seen the female, but she has defied all my attempts to capture her image. Ah well, in time….
Addendum: Since posting the two pictures of the male, I managed a somewhat lower quality picture of a female in the trees. It appears and is discussed below the male.
The colour of the female Varied Thrush, as seen below, is quite similar to that of the male, but black has been replaced by greyish brown. In particular, the breast band has become a mottled brown. A juvenile is similar to the female. This female has, as is often the case for all Varied Thrushes, secreted itself in a thicket.
Hi Alistair: absolutely great shots. I like the first one as the bird looks as if it is crafted in porcelain. Is that a compliment to Nature? The lighting is first rate giving rise to superb detail in the feathers without any visible sharpening artifacts. Top flight effort on a bird which, as you say, is elusive, especially out of the shadows.
Rick
Rick, now that you mention it, that bird does rather look as if it were crafted of porcelain. Yet, it moved as if it were imbedded within a kaleidoscope.