Or should I say, "Down goes Rufous-capped Warbler! Down goes Rufous-capped Warbler!", for today is a fantastic day!
The bird we've searched for at least ten times over five years, each time requiring a steep hike and/or bushwhacking, has finally been conquered! This bird is a rare visitor from Mexico, having never been recorded in Arizona before 2008, and there are currently only four birds known in the entire US. And, they prefer to skulk in underbrush instead of sitting on tree branches where they would be easy to see. So, they're fairly tough to find.
We rose this morning around 5am, and after a drive and hiking 3/4 mile with a 600' elevation gain, we arrived at the spot marked on eBird in Hunter Canyon at around 7am. We spread out, to cover more territory, watched, and waited.
Now, we've tried this on other occasions, and usually we wait, and wait, and wait, and nothing ever happens aside from the sun rising high in the sky, as another day of our lives slips away. This time, however, was different.
Only about ten minutes after we arrived, a pair of RCWA's appeared! We were able to watch them for about 15 minutes and heard them call before they disappeared again into the brush.
As part of my Reverse Psychology attack on the warblers, I did not bring my camera so didn't get my own photo. But, here's a pic somebody else took, so you can stare, slack-jawed, at this sexy little number:
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| From Arizona Field Ornithologists |
What a relief!
Relieved,
Me
p.s. In case you don't recognize the title reference:
Yep, George Foreman has not always been a grill salesman.
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