MEGA!

An amazing morning, a morning the likes of which most birders never see. Co-leading a SaddleBrooke Bird Club trip to Arizona’s Patagonia Lake State Park, co-birder Darlene and I noticed a large, broad-winged swallow over the marina inlet—and knew immediately that it was a bird neither of use had ever seen! For the next two hours, the 12 participants watched the bird in flight and perched, and Elizabeth took down every word in the hopes that we would be able to identify the bird later.

And identify it we did: pending acceptance by the Arizona Bird Committee, our swallow will be the state’s first record of Brown-chested Martin, and only the third ever in North America! Thanks to this South American wanderer’s cooperative behavior, we were able to take very thorough field notes, and thanks to a hapless passerby with a digital camera, there is supporting photographic documentation.

Hope the bird stays around!