{"id":21394,"date":"2015-04-07T06:23:03","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T12:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=21394"},"modified":"2025-11-06T10:45:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T16:45:43","slug":"nesting-sage-thrashers-in-a-rush-to-reproduce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/07\/nesting-sage-thrashers-in-a-rush-to-reproduce\/","title":{"rendered":"Nesting Sage Thrashers – In a Rush to Reproduce"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SageA Sage Thrasher with nesting materials – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/800, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday I had my first opportunity to photograph a Sage Thrasher with nesting materials in its bill on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both sexes build their nests so I really can’t say if this is a male or a female thrasher. The thrasher did stay on top of the rabbitbrush long enough for me to create a nice series of images of it and that delighted me.<\/p>\n

\"SageSage Thrasher close up – Nikon D810, f10, 1\/500, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Sage Thrashers are migratory and when they arrive on their breeding territory they quickly begin to select mates, breed and rear their young.<\/p>\n

It is possible that the Sage Thrashers here in Utah have more than one brood per season. I have seen Sage Thrashers courting as late as the end of June and apparent fledglings as late as August.<\/p>\n

The breeding season has begun and it is possible that within a month I will be seeing fledglings hopping around on the island on the boulders and bushes begging for food from their parents.<\/p>\n

Nesting Sage Thrashers are in a rush to reproduce when they arrive here in northern Utah, I have seen them displaying within the first week of their arrival.<\/p>\n

On another note, I saw my first of the year Northern Mockingbird on the island yesterday (no photos, it was too far away) and I am looking forward to photographing their courtship displays.<\/p>\n

Both the thrashers and mockingbirds are wonderful songbirds in the Mimidae<\/em> family and I quite often hear them before I see them.<\/p>\n

Life is good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Sage Thrasher photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday I had my first opportunity to photograph a Sage Thrasher with nesting materials in its bill on Antelope Island State Park. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":162870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[511,27,1022,103,26],"tags":[4073,4142,11978,821,780,3976,440,4164,9226,3488,4003,2816,165,4613,735],"class_list":["post-21394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-sage-thrashers","category-utah","tag-breeding-season","tag-close-up","tag-desert-island","tag-mimids-2","tag-nest-building","tag-nesting","tag-nesting-materials","tag-oreoscoptes-montanus","tag-reproduce","tag-reproduction","tag-sage-thrasher","tag-song-birds","tag-spring","tag-thrasher","tag-thrashers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t