Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Bay-breasted Warbler
Scientific name:	Setophaga castanea
Date:	6/20/2024
Time:	17:50
Length of time observed:	15 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	Adult
Sex:	Male
Location:	Bowman Fork Trailhead, Millcreek Canyon
County:	Salt Lake
Latilong:	40.697083, -111.715552
Elevation:	~6300
Distance to bird:	10 feet
Optical equipment:	Leica Ultravid 8x42 HD
Weather:	~80 degrees
Light Conditions:	Sunny
Description: Size of bird:	~5-6 inches
(Description:) Basic Shape:	typical warbler/small songbird
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	chestnut, black, buffy cream colored
(Description:) Bill Type:	typical warbler
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	I've been taking my dog for walks up Millcreek, and in particular up Bowman Fork regularly after work to get out of the heat and a large portion of the trail is in the shade in the afternoon/evening and she can cool down in the creek that parallels the trail. We have family friends in town from Wisconsin (not birders) and my dad and our friend joined me for a short evening hike. Just as we started our hike, about 30 yards from the trailhead, I heard a warbler song that was not one of the expected western warblers. I knew immediately that we had an eastern warbler but I did not recognize the song. At first I thought it was a partial Black-and-white Warbler song, same high pitched repeating song but it was maybe half (or a little more than half) as long and a tiny bit slower. It was singing periodically, maybe once every 30 seconds. After about 5 minutes, I decided to try pishing since we couldn't get eyes on the bird. Right away, a Chipping Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, YRWA and a junco popped up. about 10 feet away almost at eye level on a dead snag, I spotted another small passerine. Even without binos I could see the chestnut coloring. Once I got the binos up I knew immediately what it was. Chestnut cap and flanks, black face, back, and wings with white wingbars. Buffy/cream-colored nape and undertail. We watched it at close range for about 10 minutes, sometimes in really good light and sometimes backlit. Luckily my dad had his camera and we stayed on the bird until he got a couple of ID photos. After about 5 minutes a RBNU chased the warbler into a spruce where it sat still for about 3 minutes out in the open. (see photos)
Song or call & method of delivery:	Short, somewhat downslurred very high pitched "tseetse tseetse teetse teetse". Very similar to Black-and-white in pitch but a little slower, shorter. Singing every 30-40 seconds.
Behavior:	Actively foraging for bugs in spruce and scrub oak.
Habitat:	Mixed forest, mostly scrub oak and spruce with a few aspens.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	The only other warbler that we could have maybe confused it with is a Chestnut-sided Warbler, given the chestnut sides/flanks. The Chestnut cap (rather than yellow) and cream color rather than white eliminates CSWA. I am also very familiar with CSWA songs and I think I would have picked that out. I have never heard BBWA sing, so that was new. I listened to recordings after the sighting and it perfectly matched Type 2A in the Warbler App.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	I have seen maybe a dozen Bay-breasted Warblers, once in Duluth during spring fallout on Park Point, and non-breeding birds in Colombia. Also a couple hatch year birds in Minnesota.
References consulted:	The Warbler App
Description from:	From memory From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Max Malmquist
Observer's address:	2377 East Boyes Street, Holladay, UT
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	Mike Malmquist, Tom Wood
Date prepared:	6-21-2024
Additional material:	Photos
Additional comments:	https://ebird.org/checklist/S182784058