Here’s one of our birds that is rarely seen, yet considered by many to be the best that can be heard. It soon will migrate south. It’s an aptly-named Hermit Thrush whose flute-like summer arpeggios at twilight are among the most beautiful gifts ever given humans. These extraordinary vocalists (Catharus guttatus) have been called the American Nightingales.
I was lucky enough to catch sight of this one fly up to a branch for a few seconds yesterday before it fluttered back down to its patch of shaded leaf litter below and blended back into obscurity.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on October 23, 2023.)