Birding folks (including me) are always looking for a new bird to photograph. So when a rare one shows up, it’s a big deal.
And that’s true for a male Vermilion Flycatcher, who has become quite the attraction at the Orlando Wetlands. Some, including me, think that Hurricane Milton brought this bird into this unlikely inland location for its species.
“Though they barely reach the southwestern U.S., this species is common all the way through Central America and much of South America,” AllAboutBirds.org says of the Vermilion Flycatcher. “In the U.S. they are best known and fairly common in the Southwest, but smaller numbers also spend winters along the Gulf Coast.”
What’s even more rare about this rare bird is that it apparently loves all the attention its getting from birders and photographers at the Orlando Wetlands. They will gather every day at the area where the bird hangs out, and it will come and land close for photographs.
I’ve been fortunate to photograph it three times so far, and I have to say that my camera and editing software can’t do justice to its beautiful red feathers. Of course, each of the three times I’ve seen it the lighting has not been ideal.
This bird also has a lady friend – though her colors are not as vivid. The female Vermilion Flycatcher is harder to find – though some have been able to photograph her.
Who knows how long the male and female Vermilion Flycatchers will stay around, but they’ve certainly made a big splash among birders and bird photographers.
