The Patagonia Rest Stop Effect

We've all driven on the highway for long periods of time and had to use the rest stops.  Some are fancier than others, but at the very  least there's a parking area, picnic table, and a place to walk around and stretch your legs.  Thats about all there is at the rest stop just south of the town of Patagonia in SE Arizona.  But this particular rest stop is famous in the birding world.  Its probably visited by more birders than it is by normal everyday drivers.  Here's why:
Years ago, a birder was driving through the area, and probably pulled off to this particular rest stop to stretch their legs.  Knowing they were surrounded by good bird habitat, they were attentive to the sights and sounds around them.  Suddenly, they began noticing lots of really neat birds.  Birds like Thick-billed Kingbirds, rare breeders north of Mexico.  Word got out of the sightings and a few other birders showed up to look for the Kingbirds.  In their searching, they also turned up a major rarity, a nesting pair of Rose-throated Becard, a bird never before recorded in the US.  Birders from all over came to look, and in their searching they turned up other rarities, like Yellow Grosbeak.  And thus the term Patagonia Rest Stop Effect was coined.  Basically, the more that look, the more you find.  This is a well-known term in the birding world.  And it happens quite often.  In fact, it happened today at a pond just south of Tuscon, someone reported a Purple Gallinule, a small heron-like bird, and others who came to look for this bird also found a pair of Yellow Grosbeaks.

THE Patagonia rest stop. 

  I took the 50 mile drive south of Tuscon this afternoon to look for both birds.  The Gallinule was easy enough to find, but despite 3 other keen birders scanning the area, we couldnt turn up the Grosbeaks.  That was fine, because I had a little "Patagonia rest stop effect" of my own.  While looking for the grosbeaks, I heard the calls of a pair of Tropical Kingbirds.  I could see them in a tree a long ways across a cow pasture.  Not good enough for me.  At this point, I retract the statement I made in my previous post about not wanting to trespass.
  The coast was clear.  I would just stay hidden behind the trees along the backside of the pasture, out of view of the main road and the eyes of any possible farmer who owned the land.  While hopping the barbed wire fence, I found a whole, not yet decomposed cow, probably not a good omen.  Then again, if the owner of the land hadnt discovered one of his cattle missing, then they probably don't come around these parts very often.  I took it as a sign of fortune and continued on, obtaining my close-up views of Tropical Kingbird, and taking a few poor pictures.  After a bit, I got antsy, and scampered back across the field, avoided the dead cow, hopped the barb wire fence, and that was that.   Patagonia Rest stop effect at its best!