Possible Bendire's Thrasher x
   Northern Mockingbird  hybrid

"this hybrid combination [referring to NOMO X BETH] has occurred in captivity at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum back in the late 1980's. Somewhere in the dark recesses of slide boxes I've got a couple of pictures of it. And it did look a lot like this bird combining features of both species. Not sure if it would happen in the wild however. The attached image is from McCarthy's Avian Hybrids of the World."

I told him I'd love to see his photos of that bird if he is ever able to dig them up. I've attached Chris's photo from the publication that he referenced.

Also of note, Kenn Kaufman responded, stating that he remembers the Desert Museum hybrid mentioned by Chris, and that the bird looked similar to the one in my photos. He also said that "Bendire's X N Mockingbird certainly looks like the most plausible ID for this bird."

So, this was either a very odd northern mockingbird, or a hybrid that has never been previously documented in the wild. There is probably no way to ever know for sure, but it's an interesting bird nonetheless.

This bird was observed in an area I've birded several times now while getting my oil changed at nearby Sunrise Tire. It's a very small riparian zone with a few large cottonwood trees and some thick reeds. The banks of this area are studded with some thick mesquite and other desert shrubs as you go upslope towards Middleton Black Ridge.