Rare bird seen in Olympia may have flown the coop

OLYMPIA – A redwing thrush that many bird enthusiasts believe to be the first of its kind to be seen in North America may have flown away.

The last confirmed sighting of the Eurasian redwing, smaller than a robin and distinguished by creamy eyes and cheek stripes and a reddish stripe along the wing flanks, was Feb. 7, bird book author Bob Morse said.

The bird is nomadic and gregarious, issues a “seep” call with a weak song of three or four fluty notes, feeds on worms and berries and has a maximum life expectancy of about 18 years, breeding across northern Europe to Siberia and usually wintering in southern Europe, north Africa and the Middle East.

Scientifically known as Turdus iliacus, the bird appeared in a west end neighborhood shortly before Christmas. Bill Tweit, a leading south Puget Sound birder and member of the Black Hills Audubon Society, said it was the only documented sighting of the redwing in North America.

As of Jan. 25, Morse estimated, about 500 day visitors and 1,000 overnight visitors had come from more than 20 states in hopes of a glimpse of the redwing.

Tamara Garcia, executive director of the Olympia Thurston County Visitor & Convention Bureau, estimated the impact on the local economy at about $105,000 in slightly more than a month.

“We wouldn’t mind a few more visits like that from rare birds,” Garcia said.