Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Brown Thrasher
Scientific name:	Toxostoma rufum
Date:	11/6/24
Time:	11:00 a.m.
Length of time observed:	Off and on for maybe 5 minutes.
Number:	1
Age:	Adult
Sex:
Location:	My backyard in Holladay, Utah
County:	Salt Lake
Latilong:	40.681, -111.836
Elevation:	4493
Distance to bird:	20 yds
Optical equipment:	Swarovski EL 10x42; Canon R7 w/ RF100-500 lens
Weather:	Partly Cloudy
Light Conditions:	Relatively dark shade
Description: Size of bird:	10" - 11" long
(Description:) Basic Shape:	Longish tail, longish and slightly curved bill
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	Rusty back, tail, top of head; rusty streaked breast, off-white vent, two short light wingbars
(Description:) Bill Type:	Curved
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	Obviously a thrasher by body structure, bill shape and yellow eye, the rusty tail, back, head and messy breast streaking led to the Brown Thrasher i.d. (see photos)
Song or call & method of delivery:	I did not hear it vocalize, I was in my kitchen looking through a window and did not exit for fear of spooking, so even if it was vocalizing I wouldn't have heard it.
Behavior:	It was scratching around in leaf litter under thick bushes and pines along our fence.
Habitat:	See above.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	The only other species I consider reasonable is Sage Thrasher (several late SATHs were being seen around this time), which I initially mistook it for, to the extent it looked like it might be a little rusty I figured was filtered light making it look that way. It was quite shady in the small sight window I could see it in. I took a couple of pics, told my wife Mary it was weird to have a Sage Thrasher in the yard (would have been good new yardbird), and that this one seemed to have a little more rust than usual but was shady and weird light, and then tried to get additional looks but it had moved out of the sight window. Later I looked at my pics, they were really dark but I lightened up and lo and behold, the rusty tail, back, top of head, slightly heavier bill, and messier and darker breast streaking were apparent. (Long-billed Thrasher is perhaps the most similar to the Brown Thrasher in terms of plumage, but would be so far out of range it didn't seem worthy of serious consideration; Max and Bryant's subsequent confirmation of BRTH vocalizations further puts nail in the coffin of that species.)
Previous experience with this & similar species:	I've seen maybe a dozen Brown Thrashers in Minnesota, and had one in Utah along the Jordan River during a CBC several years ago.
References consulted:	Sibley Guide to Western Birds
Description from:	From memory From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Mike Malmquist, Mary Malmquist
Observer's address:	1957 East Longview Drive, Holladay, Utah
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	Bryant Olsen and Max Malmquist identified the bird by ear in the neighbor's back yard later in the evening, it was in a very thick hedge row along a fence and not visible. It responded to playback. It could not be re-found thereafter.
Date prepared:	11/27/2024
Additional material:	Photos
Additional comments:	I believe the photos are definitive. Here is the eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S201624776 In addition, I emailed the photos to utahbirds@gmail.com