I always wondered why this was named the Long-billed Thrasher since its bill doesn’t seem as long as the Crissal Thrashers we saw later in our recent west Texas trip. This was one of several Long-billed Thrashers that we encountered on the trip and while this photo might not fit all of the “rules” of what makes a good photograph as some of the other Long-billed Thrasher shots I got it appealed to me more. The experience with this one was a bit more interesting as well. We were trying to get a view of an Olive Sparrow that was skulking around in the dense brush for quite some time when I looked up and noticed this character checking me out with that big orange eye at close range. I have to admit I was a bit startled when I first noticed this curious bird. Thankfully I was able to take a couple of steps to the side to get a mostly unobstructed view.

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