Pyrocephalus rubinus

#5 - BlipBigYear 2014

Behold, the fantastically rare Vermilion Flycatcher! This is a male that was found last week on the Christmas bird count. It's not the first one for me; I've seen it within its typical range, in south Texas. Yet up here it's something like the 5th county record and one of the most thrilling birds I've ever gotten to see in northern California. It feels especially like an accomplishment because we could only access it by hiring a boat to take us upriver to the property on which it was found. It was a great adventure with a pyrotechnic payoff--and the rarities just keep coming!