This bird was one of two first North American records we were able to see on a memorable Southeast Arizon trip (the other was a Sinaloa Wren in Patagonia). Having no internet access during our trip, I checked the AZ rare bird reports by calling my friend Randy Pals back in Indiana. One night Randy reported that something called a "brown-backed Solitaire was found in Miller Canyon and had been relocated in Ramsey Cayon." I had no idea what a Brown-backed Solitaire was, but we decided to chase it the next afternoon. We arrived at Ramsey Canyon to discover a large group of birders peering into some tall trees along the creek while listening to an unfamiliar, but beautiful song. Eventually the Solitaire flew down to feed on some bluish berries right in front of us. This vagrant from Mexico was first discovered a few days earlier by young birders participating in "Camp Chiricahua."
These photos were taken with a Nikon D50 Digital Camera with a 70-300mm zoom lens.
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