Birders are flocking to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum en masse for a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - the chance to add a rare yellow
grosbeak to their list of sightings.
"This is what birders call a 'life bird,' meaning one you'll rarely see
one in your lifetime," said Shawnee Riplog-Peterson, curator of
mammalogy and ornithology at the museum. "And he's really quite a
beautiful bird."
Native to Central America and southern Sonora, the yellow grosbeak is a
relative of the finch and the cardinal. Males of the species are bright
yellow with black wings and white wing bars, and are about 9 inches long.
The last confirmed U.S. spotting of a yellow grosbeak came in December
of 2001, Riplog-Peterson said.
"According to the National Geographic bird book, they've only been seen
about 16 times in the U.S.," said Kathy Olmstead, a docent at the museum
and member of the Tucson Audubon Society.
The society's e-mail forum and its "Rare Bird Hotline" have been buzzing
with activity since the adult male was first spotted Monday by docents
Linda Harris and Barbara Burns, Olmstead said.
The bird has been sighted near the museum's aviary, its desert garden
and its beaver pond, she said.
No one knows how long it will stay, Olmstead said.
Birders have made pilgrimages to the museum from far and wide to take
advantage of the rarity, she said.
"I got there about 7:30 this morning to see it, heard that it was over
by the pond and started running that direction when a group of people
came running toward me saying it had flown toward the aviary," Olmstead
said. "I know that must sound silly to people who aren't birders, but
it's a pretty special thing to see."
Museum officials ask that birders and others who come to see the bird
abstain from venturing off museum paths to do so, Riplog-Peterson said.
"We understand how excited birders are going to be catch a glimpse of
such a rare bird, but we ask that people please obey our rules and
regulations and stay on the prepared path, because our soil and plants
are very fragile," she said.
In addition to the headline act, other avians of note currently gracing
the museum include Lucy's warbler, hooded oriole, northern cardinal and
ash-throated flycatcher, according to a posting on the Tucson Audubon
Society's e-mail forum.
° Contact reporter Thomas Stauffer at 573-4197 or at
stauffer@azstarnet.com.
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