This week we’re diving into a fascinating forest bird—the Varied Thrush. If you’ve ever wandered through the deep, mossy conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest, you might’ve heard their haunting, single-note whistles echoing through the understory. These birds are usually right at home along the West Coast, from Alaska down through northern California… which is why things got very interesting when a Varied Thrush recently showed up all the way in New York.

So today, we’re talking a lot about vagrancy—why some birds wander far outside their typical range.

Along the way, we also drift into some fascinating side conversations about sampling methods —how researchers collect data from poop, what those approaches can tell us.

And stick around, because we’ve got a fun announcement about an upcoming episode that you won’t want to miss.

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