The Elusive Vermillion Flycatcher

I was determined not to leave Arizona without seeing a Vermilion Flycatcher.  If we hadn't seen this one (photographed beautifully by my husband, Tom), we might still be in Tucson today!

Why was it so important to see a Vermilion Flycatcher?  Because the Vermilion Flycatcher is the logo for the Tucson Audubon Society, and the Tucson Audubon Society was my son's employer at the time.  Obviously, the Vermilion Flycatcher is the bird to see when visiting Tucson!

My son's supervisor was incredibly helpful with our search.  We spent one early morning hour at a city park he told us about, and when we left we were very disappointed.  It was only after I was home in Massachusetts reviewing my photos that I realized we had indeed seen and even photographed a Vermilion Flycatcher that day.  I just didn't recognize the female of the species!

Pete's boss send us to another small park in the city a few days later, and we were immediately successful.  The guy is  some sort of genius!  He knows exactly where every bird species in Tucson can be located, and what time of day you're most likely to find them.  Without his help and the help of other Tucson Audubon employees, I never would have seen thirty-three new species in just five days!

You can thank my husband for the gorgeous photos of the Vermilion Flycatcher, because I was busy texting when Tom sighted him.  If I didn't have Tom along, that nondescript little female would have been the one and only image of this exciting species!

Isn't he stunning?  The good news is that you, too, can get incredible bird shots if you always have a skilled bird photographer at your side!