Oregon
Aiming for a sunrise shot of the Oregon waterfall at Hug Point, photographer Michael Sanchez was surprised by a tiny bird flying nearby. He quickly clicked a few photos, unaware of the significance his camera had captured.
Within a week, Sanchez's photos of the bird turned him into an overnight star. Sanchez unknowingly captured the very first images of an incredibly rare blue rock thrush in all of North America.
The species, which is native to East Asia, has only once before been spotted in this region, in 1997. However, that sighting was rejected by the American Birding Association. If Sanchez’s images are verified by local and national birding groups, he could be credited as the first person to successfully record a blue rock thrush in the region.
"I was very very surprised to see just how stirred up this got folks,” he said. “It’s mind-blowing.”
As Sanchez was reviewing his photos, it struck him that the bird he saw was unusual and he’d never seen anything like it before.
"So I thought, I’ve got to post it on the socials," Sanchez said.
Not long after, a friend of a friend – an avid birder – reached out to inform that the bird looked distinctively like a male blue rock thrush. It turned out, Sanchez may have set a birding record.
Eager birders, including volunteers and experts, are working with Sanchez to authenticate the photo and pinpoint the exact location where he saw the bird.
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Despite their efforts, no one else has spotted it since Sanchez's sighting. However, adding another layer to the mystery, a separate blue rock thrush sighting was reported just four days later, far south at the Farallon Islands off San Francisco. It’s unclear whether this was the same bird or another bird.
Sanchez said, “He wasn’t a birder before, but this really has opened my eyes,” adding, “I guess I’m a birder at this point, I think I’m in the club”.
(With inputs from agencies)