CFO Sight Record Form: Dendroica dominica
Colorado Field Ornithologists Sight Record Form
CFO-RC FILE X: _____________________
RESULTS:___________________________
Species: Yellow-Throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica)
Date(s) of Observation: Saturday June 12, 1999.
Number of birds seen: 1 Sex: Male Plumage: Spring Adult
Exact location: Pueblo City Park, In Front of Office building on the east side of the park.
County: Pueblo Nearest town: Pueblo
Elevation: ~4900 ft.
Length of observation: 10 min. Time(s) of observation: ~9:05am - 9:15am
Other observers who saw the bird(s) with you: Jeremy Duhon
Other Observers who independently saw the bird(s): (None)
Light Conditions (quality; direction relative to bird(s); position):
Sunny, good visibility, I was below the bird, a little to the east, so I was looking away from the sun towards the bird.
Optical equipment used: Binoculars and 28-300mm camera lens with a 2X teleconverter.
Distance from bird(s) (estimated unless otherwise noted): ~45 ft.
Was bird photographed? Yes. If so, have you submitted photos? Yes.
Who took the photographs?
I took them using a manual focus Nikon camera with a 28-300mm lens and a 2X teleconverter.
Describe the general and specific habitat in which the bird(s) occurred:
Tall mixed trees (mostly Sycamore, Elm, Ponderosa) with open no ground cover other than Kentucky Bluegrass.
Describe the bird's behavior (flying, feeding, habits, behaviors used in identifying the species or in supporting the identification):
The bird was first seen at the top of a Sycamore flycatching and foraging (like a chickadee) in the leaves. Then it flew to a ponderosa where it continued foraging in the pine needles and flycatching. It then flew to another Sycamore and continued acti vely foraging. The bird never came down from the upper-story except when I was "pishing" at which point the bird came down to the middle-story (about 25-35 ft.).
Describe the bird in detail. This is the most important part of this report. Include the overall size and shape and how you placed the bird in the general group that you did. Give complete details of plumage, including head, throat, undersides, nape , back, wings and tail. Give particular emphasis to marks you used to identify the bird(s). Describe other important details, such as color and shape of bill, legs, eye, (etc.) that were important in making the identification. (Fill out this portion even if photographs are submitted; you may attach additional sheets, drawings, field sketches or copy field notes):
This bird was about the size of a yellow-rumped warbler (5.5 in.) and due to its behavior and call I immediately knew it was some type of wood-warbler. The bird's nape, back, wings and tail were gray overall. The bird had 2 white wing bars. The for ehead was darker than the crown and nape. The auriculars were black, extending down to meet the black streaks on the sides and flanks. It had white belly and undertail coverets. The bird had white supercilia, subocular crescents, and white patches behind the black auriculars on the sides of the neck. The relatively long, slightly curved bill, legs and eyes were dark.
Describe birds call or song:
It would regularly give fairly loud "pseep"s and would also give a call consisting of repeated "tsee-ew"s (or "teedle"s) occasionally followed by 1-3 "tew"s.
Discuss similar species and how you eliminated them:
My first thought was "Magnolia Warbler" because of the noticeable white supercilium, but the belly was white, not yellow, and the streaking was on the sides and flanks, not the center of the breast. The yellow throat, the white belly, supercilia, suboc ular crescents, and neck-patches ruled out other species like Kirtlands, Yellow-rumped, Grace's, and Blackburian Warblers. The bird's voice was also indicative of a Yellow-throated Warbler and did not suggest any other similar species.
What is your prior experience with this and similarly appearing species?
I see Myrtle's and Audubon's Yellow-rumped warblers quite often and have studied the other species in several field guides (see below) most notably "A Field Guide to Warbler's of North America" by Jon Dunn and Kimball Garrett.
List books, guides, recordings or other sources consulted and how this influenced your identification (during and after observation):
The main source used during and after the observation was "A Field Guide to Warblers of North America" by Dunn and Garrett and I also used "The Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds." After the observation I also used "All the Birds of North America," National Geographic's "Field Guide to the Birds of North America," and Golden Books' "A guide to Field Identification: Birds of North America."
Was this report made from notes made during or after observation, or later from memory?
From my memory (made a "mental-note" of the distinguishing plumage of the head, breast, belly, sides, flanks, and mantle) and I also used the photographs taken as a reference.
Date of written report: June 13, 1999.
Reporting observer: Paul J. Hurtado