I saw a couple of Thrashers with shorter bills, and at first I thought they might be Bendire's Thrasher - rare here. But then I noticed a warning in my field guide that juvenile Curve-billed Thrashers start out with shorter bills. Since I have Curve-billed Thrashers in my yard year round, that seems more likely.
There were at least two, but I think these photos ended up being all the same bird
Does look like it could well be Bendire's - in pic #3, it shows a pale base to the lower mandible (+ for Bendire's), in pics 2 & 3, a lack of a dark malar line (again, + for Bendire's), and in all the pics, a yellowish iris (not orangey at all). If it's still around, try to listen out for its calls, which are the best way to tell it from Curve-billed.
Also, any juvenile this early in the year, I'd think would be only recently fledged and thus still show a somewhat fleshy gape, which this doesn't.
Resin
Thanks, Resin
I thought it looked too old for this year's juvenile, too. Also in favor of it being a Bendire's is seeing them for a few days in a row, but not before or after.
However, the third photo above might show a little malar line. The first photo here shows the beak with the lower mandible dark, and maybe a little flesh at the gape. The 2nd photo is the last sighting, and the bill still looks short, but maybe more curved.
I am going to leave this one as a inconclusive "Maybe", but not count it for 2014.
