(Photo of Swainson's Thrush by Matt Reinbold/Wikimedia Commons) Binoculars pointed upward in the sky isn't the only way to see spring's migrants. Many birds making their way through the Pacific Flyway spend a great deal of time on the ground. Birds like the Swainson's Thrush primarily feed on the floor of riparian woodlands. It is timid bird and will leave areas where it encounters humans. It is lucky to get close enough to take a photograph, which is why this post contains only a photo of the olive-backed variety instead of the rust-backed that are more typically found on the west coast.

As you can see in the map above, the Swainson's Thrush spends its winter months in South and Central America. It lives in tropical  and secondary forests feasting on berries and insects.

This Thrush is just entering  California, as illustrated in the map below, where it travels through on its way to breeding grounds north.

For more on this bird's migration, read this article from Cornell about studying Swainson's Thrush calls to understand its voyage, http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1886.