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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend January 11, 2007 Since You Asked After spotting a pair of beautiful robin-like birds in my east Medford yard I looked in my bird book and saw that they were varied thrushes. An internet site said they were found in the Pacific Coast states, but I'd never seen one before. Are they common in the Rogue Valley? -- Maureen M. , Medford They are considered uncommon to fairly common at this time of year in Jackson County, Maureen. That means if you went birding now, you might see them on something less that half your trips into the field. But to find one here in the summer would be a rare feat. The varied thrush is just one of the many birds you might expect to see around in winter but not in summer. Prime examples are the many kinds of ducks wintering here. Songbirds you won't see in the summer but which are common on the valley floor right now include the striking golden-crowned sparrow and busy little ruby-crowned kinglets. Varied thrushes nest in old-growth conifer forests and winter as far south as the Baja peninsula. If you look at groups of American robins in parks and back yards right now, you're fairly likely to see a varied thrush or two mixed in with the group. The robins don't seem to mind. While a field guide with seasonal maps is an indispensable tool to use in identifying birds, there's another tool that will tell you in great detail just which birds you can expect to see at what time of year, and where. It's a little pamphlet called "Birds of Jackson County Oregon: Distribution and Abundance." It's published by the Rogue Valley Audubon Society, and it's available at Wild Birds Unlimited in Medford and the Northwest Nature Shop in Ashland. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com