Stunning Black- throated Thrush at Whipsnade zoo

On Sunday 22nd December, John H and I travelled across to Whipsnade zoo, 3 hours after we set off we arrived at the zoo, under leaden skies and constant rain and John kindly did the driving. As we arrived, the rain stopped and the skies brightened and the sun came out! I had a feeling this was going to be a very special day! Once we had both paid our £26 zoo admission fee, at 10am after a short wait, we were allowed in and what appeared to be near Hullabalo Play area. We assembled on grass in front of a concrete walkway, we overlooked a grassy green area complete with a couple of berry trees and our immediate focus was a fenced off pond area, a large elder bush just left of the pond had the bird in question perched right in the middle. Apparently it was the superb male Black- throated Thrush. This would be my first since one twitched at Werrington, Peterborough in February 1996 (again another smart male) and a 1st winter female seen at Hangman's wood, Sheringham 31 Oct 1993, decades ago, last century! By this point a crowd of about 50 had gathered, mostly encircling the bush, far too close. We all backed off considerably and sensibly to give the bird space to come out and hopefully fly to the berry laden tree on the green area, in front of where we were gathered. The only problem was the bird was initially almost totally obscured, but slowly the salient features became apparent. The pale grey back, the tail and then the bill with its obvious yellow lower mandible, then when it moved slightly part of the black- throat. After some 20 minutes it shifted position a little and moved up, enabling the head, face, bill and part of the throat seen. It then flew to the top of the bush where this magnificent bird could be seen in all its glory. A quite simply stunning individual with pale grey back, in sunlight a superb glossy iridescent black face and throat, the greyer crown had black 'freckles' it it. It was white below and dark bill with extensive yellow at the base. It hopped to the top and then flew over to the berry laden tree, perched in full view tearing off and eating the berries. The only problem for me was the light so when the bird had flown back to its original bush, I repositioned myself in a more favourable spot with the sun directly behind and before too long the bird had flown back, although the head was totally obscured by berries, initially. I diverted my attentions to a a fine Redwing that was also in the tree and it it showed well briefly feeding on berries in the full sunlight. The Black- throated Thush then retreated to the middle of the tree and seen hopping down the sloping horizontal bow of the tree at one point. It then hopped out again feeding in full view and finally managed to get my shots out in the sun. It flew back to its original bush again and then flew back once more to the tree where I was finally able to get it with a berry in its bill. It then flew down to the ground, initially behind the tree in shadow before it briefly hopped around to the front. Then it flew over to the area where pigs had been kept and perched initially on a fence before flying down into an enclosure where it sat for some 20 minutes in the corner before commencing feeding. On examining the pictures, it confirmed what people had been stating some of its right tertials were missing, it was said this bird had survived a Sparrowhawk strike. Finally it flew back to its original bush and sat in full obscured view. Superb views of a wonderfully photogenic bird, definitely bird of the year and easily one of the best birds of the decade!