Bendire's Thrasher

Bendire's Thrasher (Toxostoma bendirei)

Place: backyard patio, Phoenix, AZ
Date: December 23, 2004
Equipment: Nikon D70, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), tripod, SB-800
ISO 640, aperture priority matrix metered. 1/60th @ f/7.1, fill @ -1.7
Raw, PSCS3 on Mac G4, trimmed right edge only

I first posted this image at NPN on January 5, 2005 (at 600 pixels). I'm reposting it because it has just been used in the Fall 2010 issue of Bird Conservation, the magazine of the American Bird Conservancy. The ABC discovered it on my web site and asked to use it in an issue devoted to "Ten Overlooked Species."

Bendire's Thrasher is "uncommon and local in arid grasslands mixed with brush or yuccas. Usually solitary and rather secretive, foraging on the ground for insects and seeds." [Sibley]. They are very similar to the abundant Curve-billed Thrasher: one of the reasons they are overlooked as much as they are.

I'm not a big fan of head shots of small birds, but given the opportunity I won't pass one up. This was taken on our patio, while I sat outside and the thrasher came to investigate. I was testing a compact flash card I'd just picked up locally before heading to Bosque del Apache the following morning. I wish I'd have stopped down for more depth of field, but I didn't expect this to be anything more than a test shot of the card.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Larger version provided for critical viewing.