Spotting a Thick-billed Kingbird at the Garden

Another overcast morning and I'm feeling as though I need a mood booster. I decided the perfect place to lift one's spirit was the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas. Getting a late start, I arrived about 11:30am. I took a few shots of an unusual looking Kingbird and sent the photos to Eve to help with the ID. She sent it on to Susan Smith who informed me that it was a rare Thick-billed Kingbird and forwarded it to Mr. Guy McCaskie for confirmation. Wow, a rarity in the county, a first for the garden, and another life bird for me!  I am grateful for all the help from Susan Smith and Guy McCaskie. Thank you both!  Here are some photos of the first-ever Thick-billed Kingbird to be reported in the botanic garden!

Arriving about 11:30am at the garden, I walked to the big lily pond and enjoyed the quiet of the bamboo forest. I walked through the tropical fruit garden as I made my way to the gazebo area. Here is a Papaya tree full of new fruit.

Beautiful red passion fruit flower.

Japanese Lantern, a lovely sight. I am feeling a lot better as I wind my way towards the gift shop.

Ribbon plant

Amazing colors.

Arriving at the outdoor nursery by the gift shop, I hear an unusual call and look around hoping to spot the bird. Standing by a cork oak tree I look up and see what looked like a Kingbird fly into a Torrey pine just south of the cork oak. Lucky for me I had my camera ready!  Here is a shot of the Kingbird flying into the Torrey pine.

Thick-billed Kingbird, Tyrannus crassirostris measures 9.5 inches with a wingspan of 16 inches. He perches for a few moments giving me a chance to get a few more shots. His bill is really big and black, looking twice as big as the Cassin's Kingbird. His crown looks dark, and look at all that white on his chin and neck. 

Another look as he checks out his surroundings. A Cooper's Hawk is heard south of the Torrey pine and our Kingbird appears on guard.

A Nuttall's Woodpecker flies into the tree and spooks the Thick-billed Kingbird into flight. I scramble to get another shot.

 

I strain, looking into the glare. 

Wow, I didn't know when I was taking these shots that it was a rare bird I had spotted! And a life bird for me! It has shown me how important it is to get a shot of the bird if you think it is something unusual. The photos will help identify it and if you're lucky, as I was yesterday, you will be rewarded with a photo of a "life bird". Here's the last shot of this rare Kingbird.

Update: 11-06-2017  I just received an e-mail from Susan Smith and I wanted to share the interesting information with you about the Kingbird's diet.  She had just been shown a beehive in the sawed off cork oak near the gift shop, very close to where I had seen the bird, and she thought that the Thick-billed Kingbird may have been drawn to that as they like bees.
 

Have a great weekend everyone.