Sage Thrasher in St. Louis County
2018-05-29

'Casual' in Minnesota - Five or fewer records in St. Louis County for the Spring season

Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus) in flight SE of Sky Harbor Airport at Minnesota Point, Duluth, 29 May 2018. Discovered earlier in the day by Clinton Nienhaus and others, the bird was seen through about 6:00 PM when severe thunderstorms moved through the Twin Ports. Whitish tips to the upper median and greater secondary coverts (best seen here on the left wing) form thin, whitish wingbars on the perched bird. Whitish wingbars, obvious dark streaking on its underparts, and a dark malar stripe are among the features separating Sage Thrasher from Bendire's Thrasher. Unlike Sage Thrasher, Bendire's has not shown a pattern of vagrancy to eastern North America. Pending acceptance by the MOU Records Committee, this represents the 13th state record and 4th record for the North Shore following two spring and one fall record from Cook County.

Peder H. Svingen