Rare bird spotted at Slaughter Ranch


Published/Last Modified on Monday, February 9, 2009 2:40 PM MST


The rare Blue Mockingbird has been sighted at Slaughter Ranch near Douglas and is causing a run on the facility.


The Blue Mockingbird is most commonly found in Mexico. This is only the fifth recorded appearance of the bird in the United States, and only the third time in Arizona.

According to American Birding Association’s Peeps Online, a web newsletter, “On 4 February, professional bird guide, Richard Webster, found a Blue Mockingbird Melanotis caerulescens on historic Slaughter/San Bernardino Ranch, Arizona.  There have only been four prior accepted records of this ABA Code 5 species.  Blue Mockingbird is mostly a resident from Mexico from southern Sonora and southern Tamaulipas to Oaxaca.”

The ranch has been inundated with visitors so far. More than 100 made their way to the ranch on Friday, with more expected by the weekend.

According to ranch officials, six people from Massachusetts and another from Guthrie, Oklahoma are flying in specifically to catch a glimpse of the bird.

The Blue Mockingbird is normally a sedentary species found in brushy riparian areas, dense thorn-scrub, forest edge, low tropical deciduous woodlands, and in understory beneathtaller oak or pine, according to Encyclopedia Britannica online.

Slaughter Ranch (formerly San Bernardino National Historic Landmark) is named for John Slaughter, a former Texas Ranger and County Sheriff. The site covers 300 acres and is located 17 miles east of Douglas.

 

Copyright © 2010 Douglas Dispatch

Comments

    Debby Parker wrote on Feb 23, 2009 11:20 AM:

    " We were heading out to Slaughter Ranch anyway on our SE Arizona winter birding trip and learned along the way that the Blue Mockingbird had been sighted a few days back (thank you to the woman from Missouri who we met at Patagonia Lake for telling us about the rare bird)and we drove out the next day, Feb. 13th, 2009, and enjoyed hours of trying to catch a glimpse of the mocker. We both saw it and I got one photo that looks good. We were thrilled. The ranch has a big pond and more birds to see. Nice folks run the place & were really raking in the money from birders, good for them! "

Write a Comment

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Douglas Dispatch is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in douglasdispatch.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the Douglas Dispatch. The Douglas Dispatch does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Douglas Dispatch spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

(optional)
   



Classifieds

View All Ads
Place an Ad

Jobs

View All Jobs


Homes

View All Homes


Autos

View All Autos

Contact Us

Email the Editor
530 11th Street (85607)
P.O. Drawer H
Douglas, AZ 85608
tel: 520.364.3424
fax: 520.364.6750