May 15, 2020 Arivaca Cienega
This is a mega rarity. Records for this bird within the US originate from a tiny area at southernmost Texas- where the bird has become established. A record several years ago at Portal was rejected by the Arizona Bird Committee (ABC) as they though it improbable that a Mexican bird from the Gulf of Mexico coast could make its way to Arizona. This second bird may trigger a review of that decision. The bird was spotted this morning (5-15-2020) by Maureen Blackford. The report was posted about 2:30pm, and by 5:30pm many of the well-known local birders were there to find it. The location provided in the original post was perfect. At about 6:07 the bird was spotted in a cottonwood above the remains of a small pond near where the concrete path ends. The bird sang loudly and put on a show that lasted until at least 6:30. Unfortunately, the light was poor for photography. Tomorrow morning (5-16-2020) the Arivaca spot will be very crowded with pretty much every local birder. Birders from out of state will begin to arrive by the afternoon.
This bird used to be called the Clay-colored Robin. Older bird guides will use that name.
