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Places to Visit
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in Stanley Park

Ecosystem Guides:
Conifer Forest Image Place Holder


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Lost Lagoon

 
Varied Thrush
 
Varied Thrush
The conifer forest in winter can look, sound, and feel empty of animal life but, of course, never is.

One of the forest's winter resident birds is one species that adds a special sense of mystery and surprise to each winter walk. If you could imagine a bird - of the forest - what colour would it be, what patterns would mark it and how would it live its life? One answer comes in the earthen colours of the forest itself and takes the form of the varied thrush.

The very silence of the winter forest itself provides human visitors with a helpful aid to finding these elusive, shadow, birds. With luck and practiced listening, the quiet trills of small groups of thrushes can be used to guide you to their location. Knowing what kinds of habitat they prefer also helps. Varied thrush always stay close to small trees and tall shrubs. At the slightest hint of danger they fly up from the ground to perch safely on the low branches; usually not more than four meters above the ground: just like the bird in this photograph. Knowing this characteristic behaviour is useful to any photographer hoping to capture an image of these forest birds.

Varied thrush are ground feeds and eat fruits, insects, and other small invertebrate life . In Stanley Park, they tend to forage in areas where deciduous trees and shrubs have dropped their leaves. The thrushes arrive to pick through the leaf litter and dine on the delicacies that cover the forest floor.
 
 
 
Field Guide Entry:
Varied Thrush
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Produced by Peter Woods
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Revised: May 20, 2011