Yea, those Varied Thrush are tough ones to get. There is one that visits my backyard all the time but like you said he prefers to eat the seeds that fall on the ground from the bird feeders. Here are a few from earlier in the week..
The Owl photo was taken January I think. Forgot I took this photo so I uploaded it.
And if any of you want a photo of a Pileated Woodpecker you need a huge lens. There are a few of them around my place but they are hard to capture. They climb up the tree so fast and peck away then fly deeper and deeper until you can't see them anymore.
It's really cool to hear them do that drumming sound. It's so loud and you think its them pecking at the tree when its really not! It's just one of their calls I guess.