Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Scientific name:	Sphyrapicus varius
Date:	March 15, 2024
Time:	11:50 AM
Length of time observed:	20 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	Juvenile
Sex:	Presumed female
Location:	Provo City Cemetery
County:	Utah
Latilong:
Elevation:	4551
Distance to bird:	range from 5 feet to 50 feet
Optical equipment:	10 x 50 Zen Ray binoculars, and a Nikon D 850 camera
Weather:	Partly Cloudy, with light winds around 5 to 10 mph and temperatures in the mid 40's
Light Conditions:	It was light out with it being around noon, and plenty of sunshine with the sun staying out of the clouds.
Description: Size of bird:	Sapsucker or Robin sized bird
(Description:) Basic Shape:	Woodpecker Shaped bird
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	black and white coloration
(Description:) Bill Type:	woodpecker bill
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	Initially Esther and I caught a glimpse of a woodpecker type bird in front of us in a Crab Apple tree at the Provo City Cemetery. At this point the bird was about 10 feet off the ground and 10 feet in front of us. I was able to get great initial looks at the bird, and quickly realized that we were looking at a sapsucker, and quickly realizing all the black and white coloration on the bird, and lack of any color that I could initially see meant we were dealing with an immature sapsucker of some kind. I knew that Red-naped Sapsuckers molt earlier in the fall than Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, but I wasn't aware of Red-breasted, or Williamson's Sapsuckers molt times. We were able to look at this bird for a few minutes and I was able to walk up to within 5 feet of it before it flew up into a Sycamore tree nearby. It flew up about 40 to 50 feet in the tree on the center of the trunk and afforded us great views of the bird and where I was able to really start to notice field marks of the bird. I was initially looking at the heavily barred back and noticed that the barring was also more messy than orderly. It Also had a barred tail, all of this was in black and white on the lower half of the back and tail. Meanwhile on the upper part of the back I noticed it had brownish gray and black. The tail showed black and white barring as well. The barring seem to extend up into the nape of the bird and only black and white was noted on the nape and an absense of any other color. We tried to note any other coloration on the head and throat, but we did not see any. It wasn't until we looked at the camera at the cemetery that we found out there was some red feathering coming in on the crown of the bird. Also on the head we noticed it was lighter overall. There was a dirty white supercillium, a black bill, black lores, black eye, and black eye stripe. A black border was formed around the throat of the bird with no red noticed on the throat in the field, or as we looked at the camera pictures taken. It appeared to be white. The forecrown was not seen super well as the bird was higher in the tree, but photos give some clues as to it being lighter and spotted. We could see the flanks of the bird and they were dirty white and black and barred also like the back. The breast of the bird was barred black and white, and smudgy grayish tones. There was some light yellow tones noted on the belly. The barring reached to the sides of the undertail coverts, but then they seem to end and crisp white undertail coverts were noted. We watched the bird for 15 to 20 minutes on the sycamore tree when we lost the bird. Esther was able to get several good photographs. We were able to get ahold of Jeff Cooper, and he happened to be near. Jeff arrived and we were unable to locate the bird while he was there, but shortly after we left him, about an hour after we arrived, he was able to relocate the bird and get photographs. I am including photographs from Esther Sumner and Jeff Cooper. Later Taylor Gallagher and McKay Olsen were able to relocate the bird at the cemetery and get photos that they uploaded on Ebird. (see photos)
Song or call & method of delivery:	We did not hear the bird making any calls, besides tapping on the trunk of a sycamore tree, but it was not a drum.
Behavior:	The bird was climbing around on a crab apple before flying up and landing on the trunk of a nearby sycamore. It was seen flaking off the outer part of bark looking for insects, and tapping into the sycamore presumably to find insects, or drill sap wells. He wasn't too active in the sycamore, mainly staying on the trunk, before we lost him.
Habitat:	green space with mature deciduous and conifer tree in an urban setting.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	Red-naped Sapcucker. The fact that the bird was a juvenile, and upon reading in Sibley, and Birds of the World by Cornell, the latest that Red-naped sapsuckers retain any juvenile plumage is into possibly December, with most molting in October and November. It also lacked any red on the nape, any red feathering in throat, the bird had a complete border around a white throat, and a messy barred back, which is also a strike against a red-naped. Red-breasted Sapsucker- Juvenile Red-breasted sapsuckers molt earlier than even red-naped, and the lighter, black and white head along with a heavily barred black and white back eliminated a juvenile red-breasted. Williamsons Sapsucker- The head pattern on this bird being black and white and lighter, and not brown along with the late date of it still being in juvenile plumage also eliminated this bird. Hybrid Sapsucker. I am not familiar with how late of a molt a hybrid Yellow-bellied sapsucker would be, but I would presume it would be earlier than a pure bred bird, or at least it would be showing signs of an adult sapsucker of another species in March. I was unable to notice any red on the throat or the nape of the bird, and I would presume that at this late of a date, that you would notice some red feathering in one of those two locations if the birds were a hybrid. I also feel that the back would be a little more orderly if it had red-naped hybridization. I didn't notice any traits that would signify that it hybridized with a red-breasted, or Williamson's.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	I have none.
References consulted:	Birds of The World by Cornell, and Sibley field guides, and also photos on Ebird
Description from:	Notes made later From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	KC Childs
Observer's address:	746 W 800 S Orem, UT 84058
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	Esther Sumner, Jeff Cooper, Taylor Gallagher, Mckay Olsen
Date prepared:	March 15, 2024
Additional material:	Photos emailed.
Additional comments: