Ok.  I still have not seen it.  I started typing the message below and during
the typing was interrupted by a call about the VARIED THRUSH showing up again in
the same area.  Oh, just a note to birders, you might want to bring boots.  It
was pretty muddy today in areas.  Well, and there were animal "droppings" to
navigate around, too. :-)

A Varied Thrush was reported this morning from the same location as this
Winter's Harris's Sparrow at 9041 Bear Hollow Rd, Apple Creek, OH.  Robert
Hershberger and I arrived at 11:15 and stayed until about 3pm with no luck.
Cheryl Harner showed up around noon and temporarily found the bird foraging
along the creek below the drive on the West side of the house.  The sighting was
brief and only a few people got on the bird.  Most of us were ill-positioned and
missed the sighting.  Unfortunately we were unable to find it this afternoon
either although some more birders showed up and helped look for the bird.

From the descriptions this certainly sounds like a credible female Varied Thrush
with a gray streaky/jagged chest band and a prominent eye-stripe and orange
wingbars.  The bird was NOT frequenting any feeders (that we know of).  The only
sightings were in the brambles and wet areas near the creek on the West side of
the house in the woods.

Just because most of us did not see the bird there does not mean that it is
necessarily gone at all.  Varied Thrushes are birds with amazing ninja skills,
especially here in the East AWAY from feeders.  I have seen these birds melt
into the background and magically disappear from sight.

So where did this bird come from?  How long has it been here?  And how long will
it stay?  OMG!  IT'S STILL HERE!  I just got a call from Robert Hershberger
while typing this message.  The VARIED THRUSH has been seen again in the same
area.  Sigh.  I missed it again.

-Greg Miller
Sugarcreek, OH

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