Verification of Unusual
Sight Record
For Utah
Rec. # 2013-23
| Common name: |
Winter Wren |
| Scientific name: | Troglodgytes hiemalis |
| Date: | 20 February 2013 |
| Time: | 12:00 pm |
| Length of time observed: | 40 minutes |
| Number: | 1 |
| Age: | |
| Sex: | |
| Location: | Grove Creek Canyon, Pleasant Grove |
| County: | Utah |
| Latilong: | |
| Elevation: | |
| Distance to bird: | 10-20 feet. |
| Optical equipment: | Kowa spotting scope and 8x40 Leopold Bins |
| Weather: | sunny, windy |
| Light Conditions: | good |
| Description: Size of bird: | Small |
| (Description:) Basic Shape: | short tailed wren |
| (Description:) Overall Pattern: | brown |
| (Description:) Bill Type: | thin and pointy |
|
(Description:)
Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics: |
Small wren with thin pointy bill. Brown all over, with a pale eyebrow. Throat
and sides of face a little paler brown than the body with some pale speckling.
Belly and undertail darker, faint dark streaks on the flanks. Short tail cocked
up. I uploaded some videos to YouTube. You can find them at the following links. It was windy out and I was breathing close to the microphone. Try to ignore those noises. http://youtu.be/v8dAUjCDWk0 - the bird is not in this video but it is a clear recording of the call note that made me think this bird was a Winter Wren. http://youtu.be/txbNj5wHY-U - This video shows what looks like a pale speckled throat and face. The wren is making a fast chattering call. http://youtu.be/oyjiUwzKq4Y - This is a longer video. Close up of the wren but I was shooting through a thousand branches so it isn't a great view. The bird is making the "jip-jip" call. The photos I submitted are stills from these videos. |
| Song or call & method of delivery: | Made a double call note "Jit-Jit" Sounding similar to a Song Sparrow in quality. See recording and videos. It also made a fast staccato scolding call. You can hear it in one of the videos. I compared the recordings I made to recordings of both Winter and Pacific Wrens on the website www.xeno-canto.org/ and I feel the bird sounded like a Winter Wren. |
| Behavior: | Skulking low in the thick brush, close to the ground. It would disappear deep in the brush then pop up in a completely different area, call and scold for a minute, then disappear again. It never sat out in the open. All my views of the bird were looking through a bunch of twigs. |
| Habitat: | Thick brushy habitat at the mouth a canyon in the foothills. It was in a thicket of skunkbrush, aka squawbush sumac. |
| Similar
species and
how were they eliminated: |
A Pacific Wren would have a drier, harder, sharper call note. Most Pacific Wrens would show a warmer, more solid brown color on the throat and the sides of the face. |
| Previous
experience with this & similar species: |
I have seen and heard several Pacific Wrens. But I'm not overly familiar with them. I have heard a few Winter Wrens back east. I identified these as Winter by range, after the split. |
| References consulted: | Sibley Guide. http://www.xeno-canto.org/ |
| Description from: | Notes made later |
| Observer: | Eric Huish |
| Observer's address: | 850 E 100 N Pleasant Grove, UT |
| Observer's e-mail address: | ** |
| Other observers who independently identified this bird: | Bryan Shirley saw it the day after. |
| Date prepared: | 21 February 2013 |
| Additional material: | Photos, Audio Tape, Video [links in write-up] |
| Additional_Comments: |