Brown Thrasher (fledgling)

Description:

Cute little juvenile thrasher. Still downy-looking (the feathers sticking up on the top of its head make it look like it's having a bad hair day!). Tail feathers haven't grown yet; in photo 4, of the bird's underside, you can see its stubby tail. I'm hoping this is one of the babies from the nest I spotted a while ago. I found this sweet bird by accident, in the middle of the night (3 am or so!). I was looking for frogs or lizards and didn't notice the bird until I was only a foot or two away. It must've been asleep, and I felt sorry about waking it up (and probably scaring it), but it was too interesting to be left alone. The bird hardly moved at all and made no noise, just stared at me and my flashlight. I was surprised it tolerated my being so close for that long. Maybe it isn't good enough at flying to get away (?). I was careful not to get TOO close, and I left it in peace to get its beauty sleep.

Habitat:

There are tons of brown thrashers all over my yard and the surrounding area. I found this one sleeping in a big bush/shrub in a flower bed, at about 3 am. It was perched on a branch about 2-3 feet from the ground and well-hidden behind the leaves.