Literally just got back from a last minute decision day trip to Mount Washington to try for the Bicknell's Thrush with John Tobin and my son Ryan. We left at 1:20 P.M. and arrived at the mountain at approx. 4:30. Thinking it was NOW or next year we decided to go for it knowing that the Bicknell's tours are over and the fact that we would have to leave the park at approx. 6:45 or get locked in for the night we were really not expecting to get it but it was worthy of trying. We headed up the mountain and pulled off at the double pulloff on the right at about the 4 mile marker where there is a sand pile at each pulloff, had my window down ofcourse and just as we pulled into the pulloff I said "do you hear that ?" Its a Thrush, It happened to be a Bicknell's calling on the opposite side of the road. 2 or 3 minutes later we had him in the scope !!! We heard 2 of them calling and spent about 20 minutes listening and watching. My son was adament about going to the summit so we did. On our way down we stopped at a couple of areas and heard and saw nothing. We proceeded down to where we heard and saw them initially and at first heard nothing but within a few minutes heard and saw atleast 4 birds. One flew right over us, one was calling but was too obscured by trees and another ( I think the original bird we saw on our ascent ) was perched in a spruce tree and we had great scope looks at him. This bird was easier to get than the Thick-Billed Kingbird at the Patagonia Roadside Rest Area !!!!! We also saw Redstart,Nashville Warbler and Yellow-Rumped Warbler,Juncos and White-Throated Sparrows and 2 Ravens at the summit.
If anyone is thinking of going to get this great bird-go now !
Mark R Hoffman
Newcastle Maine
207-458-1897
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