A rare blue rock-thrush was spotted at Hug Point in April.

Michael Sanchez brought his camera to Hug Point to take pictures of waterfalls at sunrise.

Instead, the middle school band director from Vancouver, Washington, captured an image of what experts believe to be a rare blue rock-thrush, a bird native to parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.

Sanchez noticed the small bird on the sand after turning from the waterfalls toward the ocean.

According to the American Birding Association, Sanchez’s sighting could be among the first in North America. A previous report from British Columbia, Canada, in 1997, was questioned by experts as to whether the bird had arrived in the area on its own.

Since late April, the encounter has drawn widespread attention from birders, including some who have made the trip to Hug Point in hopes of the bird reappearing.

Days after Sanchez’s sighting, another blue rock-thrush was reported on Southeast Farallon Island, off the coast of San Francisco. Whether it could be the same bird isn’t known.

Sanchez recalls seeing the bird at Hug Point for just a few minutes before it flew onto some nearby rocks.