Mega: 1st winter male Siberian Thrush

'Unconfirmed report of male Siberian Thrush', was the pager message that got me out of the house. A phone call on route confirmed that it really existed and the location (even the 'in a cage' didn't really put me off!) I arrived - with only £2.49 on me (they let me in!) and was then watching this delightful bird inside an enclosure built for Red Squirrels! It soon became obvious that the bird was fully recovered from its ordeal and wanted out. For the welfare of the bird a hole in the cage was created and the bird nearly immediately flew out into a nearby pine and then across a field, where it was later located feeding in a completely wild fashion!
Rightly, there is some discussion on the origin of the bird and any plumage / bare parts that suggest captive origin and it will be interesting to see how this pans out.



Rob Lee's Birdforum post:
The story of the bird is this (from Paul Laurie, finder) He arrived on site this morning & went to check the bird food situation as usual & immediately found the bird laying prone with wings outstreched on the ground, at the time it was raining hard & the bird was also laying in water. He threw a cloth over the bird & took it into the shop, & after drying it off with a hairdryer he placed it into a box with some food near the stove & then left it for an hour. He thought the bird had maybe flown into a pile of wire which was near to where it lay & also that if he had not found it earlier it could have possibly died. When he checked back on the bird it had perked up considerably but seemed to be drooping a wing, so he put it in the aviary to further assess the bird. His original plan was to release the bird at 10 tommorrow morning all being well but as the day wore on it became increasingly clear that the bird had now recovered & so as to relieve it of further stress the bird was let out early. Unfortunately i had left the site by then. I am glad Paul took this decision as when i was on site several of us felt that the bird was fit to be released & was looking to get out rather than feed on the food provided.