Cardinals were everywhere at Brazos Bend State Park . I was seeing 10-15 at a time. They were in the shrubs, trees, bushes and on the ground. I’m tellin’ you there must have been a flock of 70 birds there. Often I would see movement, only to swing up my bins to see yet another Cardinal. By day 2 of birding the park, I was basically ignoring them-the cardinal sin. (cardinal, sin, get it.. hehehehe.) But you know what they say. “Bird every bird.” That means, do not assume, take for granted or otherwise be a lazy birder. Because you never know. In this case. Ain’t that the truth. I brushed past this guy with a shrug then a little alarm bell went off. “Wait, something is not right!” Turns out, it was So NOT a Cardinal. While it was not a life bird, it was the best look I have ever had of a Vermillion Flycatcher.
I seem to have to re-learn this lesson pretty regularly. I pass it on to you. “Bird Every Bird.”
Stumble It!
Behind the Bins 
Very cool! As a new birder, I am happy to learn these kinds of lessons. Nice pictures.
Stunning bird and a great photo.
I learned a similar lesson while on holiday in New South Wales last December. While having a picnic lunch in a park I saw a small flock of sparrows feeding nearby. Just a common House Sparrow I thought – but then the call didn’t seem right.
A closer inspection showed that they were in fact Eurasian Tree Sparrows, a new tick for my Australian List. (I had previously seen them in Thailand so not a Lifer).
Photos here:
http://www.trevorsbirding.com/lunch-and-a-new-bird-tree-sparrow/
Well done!
Such a gorgeous bird!! I too get caught up in the mindset in regards to seeing so many common birds that I sometimes will not see the unfamiliar one mixed in between them. The way I look at it is how can an uncommon bird be mixed in with the flock. Your post is a perfect example of why one should always look.
What a wonderful discovery!
Great find! I wish I would run across a Vermillion Flycatcher among a buch of Northern Cardinals!
True, true. I hate to think how many birds I have mis-identified by assuming they were the common bird. On the other hand, it usually ends up being the common bird most of the time….
Beautiful shot, Bev. I can’t believe you were here for one week and found all these wonderful birds that I still have never seen! 😉 I’ll definitely have to remember that lesson, though. Bird every bird. Got it!
I will certainly remember this. For months I hadn’t noticed we had a female Purple Finch until weekend before last. It’s still a lesson I’ll still need to learn again and again 🙂
I love cardinals.
They are the state bird in West Virginia.
Oh! I was just there! I hope I didn’t miss that.
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/DDolan1075/10025/Day+2+Brazos+Bend+%28Part+4+of+7%29.html
I wanted to prove to my mom that there are more red birds then just cardnials. With your help I proved to my mom that there are more red birds thn just cardnials:)