Verification of Unusual
Sight Record
For Utah
Rec. # 2020-17
| Common name: |
Northern Parula |
| Scientific name: | Setophaga americana |
| Date: | 5/13/2020 |
| Time: | 12:17 PM |
| Length of time observed: | 2 minutes |
| Number: | 1 |
| Age: | |
| Sex: | |
| Location: | Antelope Island (Garr Ranch) |
| County: | Davis |
| Latilong: | |
| Elevation: | |
| Distance to bird: | About 40 feet at the closest. |
| Optical equipment: | Observed through my camera lens 70-200mm with a 2X teleconverter |
| Weather: | We saw the bird shortly after a rain storm that started around 9 AM. The wind had just died down and the clouds were starting to dissipate. It was sunny and calm about 15 minutes after the sighting. |
| Light Conditions: | overcast with some of the observations taking place in the shade of the Russian Olives. |
| Description: Size of bird: | Small (warbler size) 4-5" |
| (Description:) Basic Shape: | |
| (Description:) Overall Pattern: | Blue-gray back, Yellow-orange throat and chest, white belly |
| (Description:) Bill Type: | small with a sharp point |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
Blue-gray head, back and wings White belly, eye arcs and wing bars Yellow chin and chest with a dark band between the chin and chest and a red patch at the top of the chest just below the dark band. (see photos) |
| Song or call & method of delivery: | |
| Behavior: | Feeding in a mixed flock of warblers, vireos, kinglets, sparrows and flycatchers. |
| Habitat: | Russian Olive trees along a fence line in the middle of a grassy field. |
| Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
The closest common Utah bird I can think of is the adult male (Audubon's) Yellow-rumped Warbler which does not have the yellow chest with the red-orange patch at the top. |
| Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
Seen 4 years ago almost to the day at the same location. eBird checklist with photos: https://ebird.org/checklist/S29694595 |
| References consulted: | I recognized and called out the name of the bird immediately. My son and daughter looked it up on the Audubon app on my phone after we lost track of it. |
| Description from: |
From memory From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting |
| Observer: | Cullen Clark |
| Observer's address: | 146 East 200 South |
| Observer's e-mail address: | ** |
| Other observers who independently identified this bird: |
Britney Clark Calvin Clark |
| Date prepared: | 5/14/2020 |
| Additional material: | Photos eBird checklist |
| Additional comments: |