Quick Thrush

I went for my (almost) daily jog this morning in Bethnal Green Park just round the corner from my flat, and having done two laps, I started out on the third. I saw a strange bird standing very upright and alert in the middle of a medium-sized bit of raised greenery. I didn't have my glasses on, so I slowed down and tried to creep closer for a better look. It let out a loud, dry rattle and flew up into a tree opposite.

So I ran home as fast as possible to get my glasses and binoculars, then proceeded to run back to the tree where I lost it. After a minute or two, it flew out, making the rattling call, and landed in a tree on the other side of the park. I jogged after it and ended up relocating the thing and getting good views. I originally thought it would be a Song Thrush, but upon my close identification of it and consultation of both my bird call CD and bird book, I've decided it could really only have been a Mistle Thrush!

Now, I know that it's very easy to claim Mistle Thrush when you've seen a Song Thrush, but here are my reasons. First and foremost - the call. The (alarm) call given by the ST is more of a squeaky noise, similar to that of a Blackbird, and it doesn't make a rattling noise. The MT on the other hand does. Also, it was a little too big to be a Song Thrush, more Blackbird-sized rather than Redwing-sized. I got a good view of it in the tree it was in, and although I can't comment too much on the paleness of the bird (due to lighting), there was definitely a light-coloured cheek, and, most importantly, the mottling on the breast was made up of rounded black spots rather than the pointy arrowhead spots one would find on a ST.

Therefore I'm confident in my identification, and thoroughly pleased that I found this bird in my local London park! And it also means I've seen a Mistle Thrush this year before I have seen a Song Thrush - how about that?