Camouflaged Varied Thrush

I am a sad woman today...we've had sunny cold days for almost a week and today I was supposed to drive over the coast range to Eugene and take a bus up to Portland to spend the day in a meetup and photoshoot with Taffy. I left home at 5 Am and by the time I got slightly east of Florence, there was freezing rain and I have a loaner this week because my trusty familiar car is in the shop. Since I knew I would next have snow, freezing fog, and probably black ice, I turned around and came back home disappointed.
In the Spring and Summer I would probably not post this because it was too far away for a sharp shot, but it brought such a nice pop of color that I decided to post it. I like how it seems color coordinated with the remaining few leaves.
Thanks for your visits, comments, suggestions, favs

[Pam Knowler]

Oh Jane what a shame you had to turn round and go home. I can understand how disappointed you must be to miss out on meeting Taffy. Faced with those driving conditions I would have done the same!!
What a gorgeous bird - not seen one of these before.The colour is wonderful and perfectly matched to the leaves. Fav!

[Cathy]

Birds certainly add a bright spot to a dreary winter. So sorry you did not get to meet up with Taffy... I know you would both have had a terrific time! Perhaps you can re-schedule!

[Taffy]

Two sad women today!!

[Graham Thresher]

Great shot.

[Pat Knowles]

Disappointing Jane but better safe than sorry! Love his gold feathers & littke fat tum!

[Stephanie Swift]

Love the colour here, the dof, and the very pretty bird. What a shame you had to turn back--bit it's better to be safe and live to photograph another day.

[sally agnew]

What a bright little treasure , the plumage is stunning :)

[Paula W]

How disappointing Jane, hope you are able to reschedule soon. Lovely coloured little bird.

[Judith Johnson]

It's a wonderful shot and I love the colourful bird. So sorry your meet-up didn't happen, maybe next year. Fav!

[Trinda Love]

fav, lovely bird and lighting

[Rachel]

Oh, so disappointed for you. But better safe and sound. The driving conditions sounded treacherous.

[Jane Pittenger]

@888rachel Taffy said it was fine in Portland...if only I could have gotten there

[Rachel]

@jgpittenger Hopefully another opportunity will come up. Taffy always seems on the move, so might come your way again.

[Milanie]

I'm so glad you posted this as I've never seen one before - his colors are wonderful. Glad you didn't push the drive with those conditions - as disappointing as it is, in an unfamiliar car sure wasn't worth the risk.

[Kim]

Great capture, so cute!

[Rosie Kerr]

Oh, such a bummer for you and for @taffy. How disappointing. The colors in this shot are lovely, but cold comfort for your day. Hopefully, another chance in warmer times?

[Taffy]

@jgpittenger And then over the day, the weather from the coast came here -- rain, cold, etc. So not good for photos and long treacherous drives! We'll be back in warmer weather, I'm sure!

[Elizabeth]

Pretty markings on this little bird! Sorry your plans were foiled by the weather.

[April]

The colors are so lovely and rich, and I like the lines of snow in the background.

[Leana Niemand]

Oh that is such a disappointment! Nice shot though.

[Yeshanghai]

What a beautiful bird

[Joan Robillard]

Gorgeous bird.

[Cat Whiskers - Nan]

He is very cute! Sorry you had to cancel your trip

[*lynn]

Wow, what a fabulous bird! I've never seen one before.... beautiful shot ... fav
It was good you turned back... driving on ice is treacherous!