Aztec Thrush by PatGoltz
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Ridgwayia pinicola.
Found in Madera Canyon, Santa Rita Mountains, southern Arizona, USA.
This is a "super-rarity", not quite as rare as Baikal Teal, but not that far behind. They come from Mexico, and this one stayed for awhile. In fact, there are so few records in the United States that there is only a blue dot at the location in Sibley's. This bird provoked such an interest that there were usually a dozen or more birders who would make the hike 8/10 of a mile up a moderately difficult trail to see it. As it turned out, the day I decided to go for it, I was too excited to sleep, so I went up in the early morning, which was a good thing, because it was cool. This was also the occasion when I SAW my first Trogon (though I had heard them before several times). Anyway, lack of sleep made it more difficult, but I arrived there in early morning and then sat around and waited with the crowd for about two hours before it showed up. It spent the entire time in the chokecherry tree, making getting a clear shot of it very difficult. By the time I walked back down, I was no longer steady on my feet, and after one fall, I began to use my tripod as a cane when going over a particularly difficult spot in the trail. Not a spectacular bird, but under the circumstances, one of my better discoveries.

Comments (4)
How nice, not only for the photo but also the story about getting the shot. These efforts are what makes for the more interesting photos!
Great photo!! great effort!! You really love nature andd photography. God bless you.
So very interesting to see this!
You can be proud, Pat, to have seen this rare turdidae ! Amazingly, the picture on Wikipedia (certainly not better than yours!) was taken in Madera canyon, AZ ! Thank for sharing this rarity ! :~)