Le Conte's Thrasher

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Le Conte's Thrasher

To learn more click here http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Le_Contes_Thrasher.html

On this baron desert area you wouldn't think there was enough food for birds to exist. We looked for any type of bugs or insects but did not see any, guess we weren't as smart as the LeConte's Thrasher as far as finding bugs to eat.

But the LeConte's didn't seem to have any trouble finding bugs and or insects to bring to the nest. We watched them search out dead tree trunks, under shrubs and dead leaves, and just about any where a bug might hide they seem to know.

I do not know what this lacy green winged bug is, but we did see the bird catch it (the bug) as it flew about 12 inches above the ground. The Thrasher just ran it down and grabbed it. Since the LeConte's Thrasher runs like a Roadrunner, it was an easy task for it to catch this bug. I tried to get a photo of the bird catching the bug but was not very successful. The following images are my photos.

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As you can see, the LeConte's is or has just jumped up to catch the bug.
Look at the feet of the bird, they are above the ground.
Actually the bird had already caught the bug and was coming back down.
Had I been a fraction of a second faster in taking the photo
I would have caught the bird more in mid air catching this bug.

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Within a second after catching the bug the bird flew to a tree limb just a few feet from the nest.

This was really quite a sight to have been able to record on film.

As I had mention earlier, the cameras were radio controlled.
We do keep one or two operating that are not so we can get such photos as you have just seen.
We are still 100 feet from the nest sight using very high powered lenses.

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The next thing it has to do is try and get it down one of the chicks throat.
These Thrashers seem to always be bringing food that was almost to big for their checks to swallow.
Many times the parent bird would have to insert the bug into the
chicks throat many times before the chick finally got it swallowed.

The parent bird would cram it down the chicks throat.

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