A very rare bird sighting in Oregon last week has birdwatchers giddy. Photographer and Vancouver resident Michael Sanchez reported seeing a little bird close to the shoreline on April 21 at sunrise while at Hug Point State Recreation Site.
“I happened to look behind me toward the ocean and saw this cute little bird standing on the sand,” Sanchez stated. “The sun wasn’t fully up yet, so to my eyes, it looked like a little black bird. It posed for me for a minute or two, and then it flew up to the rocks. It stayed there for another moment or so, and then it flew away toward the east. I didn’t think much more of it than that.”
The fact that Sanchez had captured what looks to be the first glimpse of a blue rock thrush in American history was unknown to him.
Sanchez discovered that the “little black bird” was far more colorful than he had thought when he got home and looked through his photos. His decision to share his images on social media (see below) caused a stir among the local birding community.
“I noticed the bird wasn’t black at all, but it was a pretty blue and chestnut-colored bird,” he stated. “I posted it on social media for some help identifying it and a friend of mine passed it along to one of her birding friends. He let me know that this was an extremely rare bird in this part of the world.”
Experts claim that the sighting of the blue rock thrush is only the second unofficial sighting in North America’s recorded history.
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Nolan Clements, an Oregon Birding Association member and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University, said that the blue rock thrush is indigenous to Europe and Asia and is not known to have spread to any region of North America.
“There has been only one report ever in North America,” Clements said. “In 1997, one was photographed in British Columbia. However, many birders were skeptical of the origins of this bird, thinking it may have been an escaped caged bird or perhaps accidentally transported across the Pacific on a cargo ship. Ultimately, the 1997 BC record was written off.”
In recent days, Hug Point has been frequented by birders who are trying to locate Sanchez’s blue rock thrush. No other sightings, though, have been recorded.
Experts are still analyzing Sanchez’s report, but according to Clements, the bird in the pictures is “definitely” a blue rock thrush.
“The report has not passed the scrutiny of the Oregon Bird Records Committee or the American Birding Association Records Committee, both voting bodies that adjudicate natural history records, and so is not an official record yet,” Clements stated. “I am currently a voting member of the OBRC and I suspect there will be lengthy discussions about this bird, but my guess is that ultimately this report will be accepted.”
Although the bird’s possible entry into the country is unknown, Clements noted that in 2021, images of a species that is similar—the rufous-tailed rock thrush—were also taken in northern Alaska. The species was first observed in North America, according to a sighting in Alaska.
In order to offer as much information as possible regarding the encounter, Sanchez stated that he is collaborating with the Oregon Bird Records Committee.
A few days after Sanchez’s discovery, researchers on Southeast Farallon Island in San Francisco took what seems to be photos of a blue rock thrush, according to the American Birding Association. It’s unknown if the bird Sanchez saw is the identical one that was discovered almost 500 miles away from Hug Point.
“Now that I know just how rare of a sighting this is, I wish I would have captured more pictures of it,” he stated. “However, I’m happy with the photos that I was able to get, and I hope this brings new interest in the fascinating world of birdwatching.”