Is this an angry bird or what? In fact, he looks like he is ready to tear into anybody that messes with him. He is the Curve-billed Thrasher, (Toxostoma curvirostre). Rest assured, he only looks like that way. There is no record of any attack on a human by this ferocious looking individual of the avian world. Even his voice is more of a tweet than a growl.
Curve-billed Thrasher
I took these images of him while visiting the bird blind at San Angelo State Park on Monday morning. You may remember that was the day that I left Ann at home to do the house-cleaning. He was under some shrubs near the blind, but would scurry out periodically to peck around in the grass. He spends most of his life in the desert southwest.
Curve-billed Thrasher
The photos were taken with my Canon EOS 7D and 100-400mm zoom lens. The first two images exposed at 1/1250 sec. @ f8, ISO 640. The bottom at 1/500 sec. @ f8, ISO 1600.
Curve-billed Thrasher
Update: Ann’s cataract surgery on her left eye went off perfectly and she will be out birding with me in the next day or two. She sends her thanks to all of you that had her in your thoughts. She will have the same thing done to her right eye in a couple of weeks.
Click on any image to see an enlargement.
Texas Tweeties by Bob Zeller 