The prettiest bird in North America (IMHO)

I have been full timing for 10 years now and the entire time I have been photographing as many birds as I could. I have a life list of about 260 different species I have captured. That is out of about 800 different species in North America. I know about 80% of the birds I see on sight. The other 20% I usually can figure out what family it belongs to. So the other day I was staying in Tucson Arizona and as I was walking to the shower and I saw a bird that made my heart stop. Not only was it the most beautiful bird I have ever seen in the wild, I had absolutely no clue what it was. So when I finished my shower I went back to the RV and grabbed my camera. I managed to get a great shot of this little guy and I am so excited I can't wait till the end of the month to show it off. It is a Vermillion Flycatcher. It really is a Mexican bird that frequently crosses the boarder. Some are established in southern Arizona. When I first saw him I thought it was a Hawaiian bird that was really lost.

Now I was in Tucson for three days and it got down to 18 degrees every night. This bird is tiny, just slightly bigger than a hummingbird and it weighs about a half an ounce. How in the heck does this guy keep warm at night?

P.S. I did not jack up the color saturation. This is a very accurate representation of exactly how bright this little guy is. He almost glows. The image is 1920 x 1080 so that you can see the detail. To view the image in your browser better try right clicking and selecting view in new tab.

Bob - Check out the nose hairs. Is that enough detail for you ;D

Some of the most beautiful birds I've ever seen were in Guatemala.  They were hummingbirds, although a bit larger than US hummingbirds, but their colors were iridescent blues and greens, almost psychedelic.

Yes, I have seen photos of those birds. Many are Birds of Paradise. That is why I restricted it to North America since they don't occur here.

Great shot Tom. I like its little Lone Ranger mask.

Thanx Tom
All great, as we've come to expect. You will be missed at Quartzsite.
Dave

wannabfree said:

Thanx Tom
All great, as we've come to expect. You will be missed at Quartzsite.
Dave

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Thanks Dave, I will miss you and everyone at Q this year. However I just revised my long range travel plans and I should be at Q in 2014.

Very cool Tom.  Almost looks like it could be a dwarf Cardinal.  Great picture!

What an amazing shot! Did you take that with your new camera?

It's amazing the little guy was still there after you'd taken a shower and went back to get your camera.

What a beautiful photo and what a beautiful bird! Thanks for posting!

-Roni

Wow!  Choosing my favorite for January will be VERY easy.

Margi

Tom, that picture is absolutely stunning!!!!  I am honestly blown away!!  I hope you don't mind if I use it for my desktop background.  Wow!!  Wow!!  Wow!!  You made my day today, I'm telling you!!

Really nice find and a great photo as usual.

Glen

Tom, that is one gorgeous picture and one beautiful bird! Your work is truly awesome.

Tom, it is indeed a beautiful shot of a beautiful bird.

For most beautiful bird in North America, I might also suggest the Wood Duck, Painted Bunting, Summer Tanager, and Scarlet Tanager.

Joel

tstumpf said:

What an amazing shot! Did you take that with your new camera?

It's amazing the little guy was still there after you'd taken a shower and went back to get your camera.

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Thank you Roni. No, that was taken with my Sony a55 and my Tamron 200-500.

Actually I have seen a bird without my camera and returned to the spot later with my camera and I am almost always successful. I found him about 6 more times over the three days I was in Tucson and photographed him each time. I did see two at one time so there was at least a few of them there.

Great Horned Owl said:

For most beautiful bird in North America, I might also suggest the Wood Duck, Painted Bunting, Summer Tanager, and Scarlet Tanager.

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Thank you Joel. You have listed the four birds that are at the top of my list. I have seen all of them in the wild and I still think the Vermillion Flycatcher is the prettiest. But it is a very close race.

Over all through out the entire world I think the prettiest bird is a Lady Gouldian Finch. I used to have a pair in my aviary when I owned a stick and brick 20 years ago.

rsalhus said:

Tom, that picture is absolutely stunning!!!!  I am honestly blown away!!  I hope you don't mind if I use it for my desktop background.  Wow!!  Wow!!  Wow!!  You made my day today, I'm telling you!!

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Thank you Rolf. I am honored if you use my photo on your desktop. I don't enforce copyright on any photo I take. Any photo can be used by any person for any reason, personal or commercial at any time. I am always thrilled when I hear of someone using my photos.

Great picture Tom. 

Great pic Tom.  Beautiful bird. 

You finished your shower and THEN went and looked up the bird ? And you call yourself a birder. Shame on you. But it is a pretty bird. Checked my life list and I picked one up in 2008 in Blythe after the Qtz rally. Not pretty, but my personal life list favorite is Pileated Woodpecker, spotted in Alabama.

I should go out tomorrow morning and check out the birdies on the beach except that shorebirds can be a pain to identify

Wendy
Bolsa Chica State Beach

Thank you . . .just soaking in it's beauty is refreshing.