It could be said that Sage Thrashers are farmers in their own right.
Two weeks ago I had a fun encounter with about a half dozen Sage Thrashers as they were feeding on Fragrant Sumac fruits in a remote area of northern Utah. These fruits may look like berries but technically they’re drupes – fleshy fruits with thin skins and a central stone containing a single seed.
There were several Fragrant Sumacs in this small area that had attracted the thrashers to their fruit and a variety of other songbirds to the insects inhabiting their leaves and stems.
The fruits were thick on the shrubs but to the disappointment of this photographer the thrashers always seemed to collect them from the interior of the bushes where I couldn’t see them so I was never able to photograph them actually harvesting the fruits. This thrasher happened to poke its head out far enough for a few quick portraits before it swallowed the fruit.
However, I did manage to photograph the eventual seed disposal process. Twice.
When this thrasher landed on a dead twig near one of the sumac bushes it had nothing in its bill but before I could get the bird into focus it had hacked up one of the undigestible sumac seeds which was then…
unceremoniously dropped to the ground. I was firing a burst at the time but I didn’t catch the falling ‘pit’.
Less than three minutes later another thrasher (or more likely the same bird) landed on the same perch and began to hack up another seed.
- Notice how exactly the foot and toe placement in this photo matches matches the foot and toe placement in the previous photo. That’s one of the reasons I think they’re probably the same bird – muscle memory. I suppose it’s possible that this bird never left the perch and simply hacked up two seeds while it was there but that’s not the way I remember it. Keep in mind that the two photos were taken nearly three minutes apart.
Once again I got several photos of the hacked-up seed and once again…
I missed photographing it as it fell. Missing shots like that is one of the reasons I still lust after a camera with a faster burst rate.
Fragrant Sumac is native to North America and birds are its primary agent of seed dispersal. The fruit is an important winter food for small mammals and especially for birds including turkeys, ruffed grouse, robins and flickers. So in effect these thrashers were insuring their own future food supply by dispersing the sumac seeds.
To this Montana farm boy, that’s farming. Or close enough.
Ron
Notes:
- The ‘fragrant’ part of the name Fragrant Sumac comes from the fact that when crushed the leaves give off a citrus smell.
- Image techs for most of these photos were at or near 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM.
Not only have you captured beautifully this bird and in its habitat, you have provided documentation of it pellet-casting (or to use your technical terms “seed disposal” and “hacking up”😁. BoW has “no information” on this in its account of the Sage Thrasher.
BTW, since you pointed out the the fruit of the Sumac is technically a drupe, might I add that the stone is technically an endocarp surrounding the seed (itself a ripened ovule)?
RIP, notorious RBG. She was a rare ray of hope for our times.
You may indeed add it, Lyle. I almost did myself.
Incredibly beautiful photos!!
Thanks, Heidi.
All of the shots are great, but my fav is the 2nd pic. The first time I saw one here (High Desert) I was at a loss on what type of bird it was. I contacted my Cousin, who lives back East, and asked him…It was then I found out it was a Sage Thrasher. Also I was surprised on how pretty their song is. It just didn’t look like a song bird to me, but sings s pretty song. Thanks Ron!
Thank you, Jean. I like their song too.
Love the contrast in first 2 photos between drab-ish colored (but quite handsome) thrasher and beautifully colored foliage and drupes — really lovely! And turns out I’m a BIG fan of drupes though didn’t know it ‘til now.
Also a very big fan of RBG, trying to find some comfort in the fact that she accomplished so much in her lifetime and hoping we may yet find a way through this agonizing loss and preserve her legacy.
Who isn’t a fan of drupes, Chris. I know I certainly am. And everyone should be a fan of RBG too.
Thank you.
Yet again your post gives me a welcome distraction from the world’s issues. As I so often say, learning and wonder give me a most excellent start to the day. I am pretty well guaranteed to find at least one and often both of those things here.
Nice of you to say so, EC. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing these “drop the drupe” shots. Really like the “peek-a-boo” in the second shot and the way the thrasher’s tongue movements affect the external appearance of his neck in the 4th.
Thanks, Marty. I’m surprised by how quickly those drupes dropped and that I didn’t get either one in my photo as it was falling.
Thank you so much for bringing this beauty, especially this morning when my heart is so very heavy with sorrow.
I LOVE the concept of these guys as farmers and I agree 100%!
I apologize. My brain is just spinning today and I can’t seem to find a gear. Just know this was a special series, I learned new things and I thank you muchly!
I hear you, Laura. Still reeling here too. Even had an earthquake last night.
When I heard about her death one of my first thoughts was “What else can go wrong?”
The way things are going I’m terribly afraid we’ll find out.
The hits just keep on coming. We can’t even begin to process one and another three come out of the blue. I’m not sure how to get through this day beyond that the time will pass somehow. Or it won’t.
Spectacular series, Ron! I really love the Thrashers, and everything comes together perfectly in this series. Beautiful bird in great habitat, just doin’ what Thrashers do! I will be coming back to this post a lot today, hoping to lift my spirits. There is no truth without Ruth! RIP RBG.
Thanks, Diane. But I’m afraid it’s a tall order for any blog post to lift our spirits on a day like today. Maybe it’ll help a little…
I am always amazed that at my age I learn a new word for something as common in life as an olive. I love all your lessons and also get to enjoy the beautiful picture of places and wildlife. Thanks.
I get that, Betty. At our age the little things often count a lot.
Drupe. Can’t wait to integrate that word into my next virtual cocktail party. Thx Ron!
That should be easy to do, Kathleen. The olive in your martini is a drupe, as is the cherry in your Manhattan.
One end or the other the seeds DO get disbursed! Was not aware that they hacked up the pit rather than it passing through!
Yard has gone “Bird Quiet” again – may be due to some rain coming in.
One more “hammer blow” this year with RBG’s passing…. 🙁
‘Hammer blow’ indeed, Judy. I had a hard time sleeping last night just thinking about her passing and our loss.
Farmers, Thrashers, seeds, hacking, Sumac, drupes, great shots, and an education. Great way to start off the weekend. Thanks Ron.
Thank you, Everett.
Excellent post!!
I am now wondering if I can plant, successfully, fragrant sumac here in the east? Or is it strictly a Western plant?
I get the impression it’s very widespread, Dick. And from my reading many nurseries carry them.
Thanks, I should have read up on it before posting. Sorry.
There is a good report out about how the sudden drop in temperature from 94 degrees to just above freezing to below freezing, high wind and snow prevented flycatchers, swallows and other insect eating birds from finding food and the lack of fat reserves in many of the dead birds picked up for analysis. Yes, there was smoke from the fires, but the more plausible scenario is hydrothermia and starvation.
Yes, I saw some of the results of that report yesterday.