I live in a NE Indiana suburban area. About two weeks ago I noticed an unusual bird bouncing around in my backyard. The area is fenced in by a privacy fence and I let it be a little rough in hopes of attracting birds. Lots of leaf litter, no pesticides, etc. It does seem to have worked to some degree.
Anyhow after a few pics and a lot of searching I discovered it to be a Swainson's Thrush. All my research shows this to be a migratory area only. Breeding grounds are quite a bit north of me still. He's still bouncing around in my backyard two weeks on and seems to be quite happy there. Is it normal for a migrating bird to stay in one place this long? Could it be because of this awful Midwest weather we've been having? Any chance it stays for the summer? Have to confess that I don't know that much about migratory behavior. Hoping that the forum can help answer this for me.
Hi Eric- Birds on migration are held up by all sorts of reasons including weather. It is not too unusual for a bird like this to hang around for a while and then disappear when the first warm, southerly air mass moves north. We see the result of this up here when we see a lot of migrating birds on a particular day just as a warm-front moves in. I doubt that the bird will stay but anything is possible. Look forward to hearing what happens to the bird.
Thank you John. That is what I was thinking. I'll enjoy his stay as long as it lasts then. If he sticks around I'll give reports. I thought that I saw a second one a few days ago but due to darkness and distance I wasn't sure. Haven't seen since so it's likely just my imagination.