Back in January 2010, I had traveled from Vermont down to the northernmost coast of Massachusetts, to see what birds might be found at Salisbury Beach State Reserve. It's where the Merrimack River flows out into the Atlantic, and there are always interesting birds to be found there. As I arrived, I saw several birders, and so I asked if they had seen anything interesting. "Are you here to see the thrasher", I was asked. Of course, I was thinking of Brown Thrashers, which are somewhat common. So, I got directions, and planned to check it out on my way out. Well, it turned out to not be a Brown Thrasher, but a Sage Thrasher! It had been carried northeast from western Texas all the way to Massachusetts! Fortunately it landed before being carried out to sea.