Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Brown Thrasher
Scientific name:	Toxostoma rufum
Date:	June 9, 2026
Time:	8:03 am
Length of time observed:	few minutes
Number:	1
Age:
Sex:
Location:	Desert Voices Trail, Dinosaur NM
County:	Uintah
Latilong:
Elevation:
Distance to bird:	10 ft
Optical equipment:	Vortez 10x42 and Vortex 8x42
Weather:	Warm sunny
Light Conditions:	clear skies
Description: Size of bird:
(Description:) Basic Shape:	Thrush-esque body, with long tail
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	Rufus uppers from head to tail, whitish lowers with thick brown streaking on breast and sides
(Description:) Bill Type:	solid with slight down curve
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	the Thrasher on that particular morning we saw as we were heading out towards the Desert Voices Trail. It was in the exact same rabbit brush scrub as it was the day before. Perfect views: all rufus brown down back and onto long tail, very heavy spotty barring on chest and onto sides, which showed, also, a bit of rufus, and not just solid white. A few days later, we had a too brief glance of an all rufus bird down at the other end of the campsite, near the trail head towards GRCG. Didn't put it down, as it didn't vocalize and the view was just a glimpse. We never do playback because that is boring, so we moved along, but if forced, we would say that it was the BRTH still hanging about. The only other possibility would've been a LBTH, but that would've been super rare and our bird was very rufous, with very little signs of gray, relatively shorter bill that didn't have the pronounced curve that a LBTGH would show. We rarely take photos, as we prefer birdwatching to birding,
Song or call & method of delivery:
Behavior:	Scratching around rabbit brush. Intermittently perching on snags to survey
Habitat:	deserty scrub, sage brush
Similar species and how were they eliminated:
Previous experience with this & similar species:	Live back east; have lots of experiences with observing coloration and general behaviour
References consulted:
Description from:	Notes taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Tyler and Rachel
Observer's address:
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:
Date prepared:	June 26
Additional material:
Additional comments:	submitted via bird and was asked to upload here