White-eyed Vireo along the Lower Colorado River! by Alex Lamoreaux on Nemesis Bird

10Aug/116

White-eyed Vireo along the Lower Colorado River!

This morning, some of the other cuckoo researchers that I work with were attempting to capture one of our nesting cuckoos at our best cuckoo breeding site along the Lower Colorado River and accidentally captured a fantastic find for this area of the US; a White-eyed Vireo! The site they were at was on the Arizona side of the river in a recently installed riparian ecological restoration. These sites were built in agricultural fields along the river for the benefit of threatened species like the 'Southwestern' Willow Flycatcher and the 'Western' Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

As the crew approached the net this morning, which was intended to capture one of our nesting cuckoos, they immediately noticed the odd bird in the mist net. Ben Zyla, who had just worked in Fort Hood and had captured and banded loads of White-eyed Vireo was the first to ID the bird. The bird appears to be undergoing a complete body molt, which likely means that it had over-summered in this area, and since this particular restoration site is the only one along this stretch of the river, I would guess it was there the whole time!

According to eBird records, it looks like this is the first sighting for the western half of the state. For California, there has been one other record along the Lower Colorado River, about 30 miles south of where this bird was found today. Below are some photos taken by Ben Zyla of the vireo. Unfortunately, I was at another site and so I didn't hear about this great find until I got back to the crew house and everyone told me.....

White-eyed Vireo - Photo by Ben Zyla

Paynes Prairie SP – Sweetwater Dike

Starting off 2012 the Florida way….

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http://nemesisbird.com Drew

Wow, that is one ugly WEVI.
darren

I was going to say the same thing. What an ugly, but great bird. It’s one I’ve been hoping to find in Idaho for a while now.
Geotrekker1

Greetings Alex (and Ben),

- – - to continue my incomplete earlier comments (from Phil E. Gordon, Hayward, Calif.):

I knew of a Dr. and Mrs. Lamoreaux of one of the 5 Districts of what is now Fremont; possibly, Niles; where my parents lived. Later, now iving in a diferent part of Alameda County, Hayward, my father (Wesey D Gordon) spoke of Dr. Lamoreaux, who was a Geneticist working on poultry for the Kimber Ranch to develope disease resistant chickens, ducks and turkeys. He and his wife became famous for developing the first slide show for the brand new Visitor Center of Anza Borrego Desert State Park. They included some spectacular flowering cactus pictures (I got to see the show once).
So, are you attached to these folks; other than by name?

My wife and I are sort of “desert rats” and do a lot of camping and trekking throughout southwestern deserts. I’m a retired High School Biology Teacher, now teaching an Adult School class, “Birds of the Bay Area.”
What fun it would be to see a White-eyed Vireo in Arizona – perhaps some day!

Best regards and Happy Birding,

Phil E. Gordon
PAGPEG@aol.com

P.S. Are you involved with the Yellow-billed Cuckoo population along the lower Bill Williams River? PEG.