The East normally has a few Varied Thrushes each year; some years are better than others. Starting a couple of weeks ago, it was clear that many more Varied Thrushes than usual were showing up in the lowlands and deserts out West (California, Nevada, Arizona). I told a few folks to be on the look-out around their feeders and fruiting trees here because this could be an indication of a movement underway. Now it is super clear this is a great year for Varied Thrush. See this message by Brian Sullivan in Monterey, California, where he estimated 750 birds going over (see linked eBird list too): http://digest.sialia.com/?rm=message;id=948273
Now that's the Pacific Coast, but when these birds disperse, the number of vagrants to the East increases as well as to the south and lowlands within their normal range. Townsend's Solitaire likewise has an eastward dispersal, and we already have one this fall. We don't have a good explanation for what motivates these species to move like this. It is fun to experience, though.
Good birding!
Louis Bevier
Fairfield
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