Four Feathers Studio

Their voice seems to bubble up from a mystical fountain deep in the woods, flute-like and achingly melodic. Listening to their song, so beautifully pure, one is immediately transported into a realm inhabited by wood nymphs and fairies. The Hermit Thrush, a truly magical minstrel of the woods, is a beloved resident of Wonderland. Heard throughout the summer—especially in the late afternoons, and seen most often in the fall—when their young are foraging about in the forest edge amongst hay-scented ferns, wildflowers, and ancient apple trees. The soft brown bird with dappled brown spots adorning its breast, possesses a reddish hued tail that always helps one identify it amongst the other similarly colored thrushes in its family. While perching on a branch, I often see the familiar quick-raise of their tail feathers and then a slow-lowering as they flick their wings—habitual movement that also helps to identify which thrush you are in company with.

 

As the thrush known for its reddish-brown tail, I love the way October’s photograph captures the autumn apples playfully echoing a colorful chorus of reds that seem to remind us exactly whom we are looking at.