Monday Morning (Art) Mystery Answered
March 30, 2019
On a recent trip to Philadelphia, Patty and I visited the Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill, a wonderful place with a wide range of sculpture, illustrations and fine art.
As with so many museums, the descriptions next to the art are sometimes wanting when it comes to bird identifications. Like the painting above. I found it intriguing, but couldn't identify the bird. Can you?
Molly Gardener suggested it was perhaps a female Boat-tailed Grackle or some sort of thrush.
I used the Merlin Bird ID app and it agreed with Molly, sort of.
Merlin said the bird was a Rufous-backed Robin, a Pale-breasted Thrush, a Creamy-bellied Thrush, or an Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush. I checked images of those birds -- no luck.
So my guess is that it is a composite thrush that represents all birds ... Thrushes are often known for their beautiful calls, which makes their passing all the more resonant.