Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Scientific name:	[Sphyrapicus varius]
Date:	27 Nov 2024
Time:	8:51 am
Length of time observed:	2 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	adult
Sex:	male
Location:	In riparian vegetation behind Las Palmas resort complex in St. George
County:	Washington County
Latilong:	37.086154, -113.620349
Elevation:	about 2900 feet
Distance to bird:	80-100 feet
Optical equipment:	Swarovski EL 10 x 42 binoculars
Weather:	clear
Light Conditions:	good morning light from behind me
Description: Size of bird:	medium sized woodpecker
(Description:) Basic Shape:	upright woodpecker shape
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	generally black and white with red on head and beige cast to underparts
(Description:) Bill Type:	stout and straight and moderately narrow
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	I saw a raptor on a power line and heard a plaintive whine. I used Merlin bird app to identify the call, and it said "Yellow-bellied Sapsucker." I was looking at a first year Red-Tailed Hawk, not recognizing the call, and trying to see if the raptor might have been some less familiar species. The hawk flushed, and I moved foward. A minute later a bounding wookpecker flew from somewhere behind where the hawk had been into the middle branches of a cottonwood tree. I had to shift position to get clear views as the woodpecker slowly shifted positions, possibly foraging, in the tree. The bird had black and white stripes on its face with red both above (on crest) and below (on chin). I had to shift position to gain a clear view as it shifted about on a medium large branch. I tried to focus on the details of the head pattern, knowing these can be very helpful in identifying species and sex. I did not see red on the back of the head or in the spot behind the eye where red-naped sapsuckers often show some red. I was wishing for a nice long clear view to confirm the field marks I was seeing when the bird flew off. Seeing that it flew too far for me to follow, I then immediately consulted Sibley to see how the field marks I just observed aligned with the red-naped vs yellow-bellied sapsuckers.
Song or call & method of delivery:	I did not try to call the bird in.
Behavior:	flew in from nearby but out of sight to mid level of a 45 foot tall cottonwood tree, where it stayed for about a minute and a half. During this time it shifted position slowly, as if beginning to forage or inspect the tree. Then it flew off opposite the direction from which it had come, with characteristic woodpecker bounding flight.
Habitat:	Riparian cottonwood tree in medium-small patch of taller vegetation behind a resort
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	I thought a red-naped sapsucker would be more likely, having seen them more in this part of the world. I also don't trust Merlin to be fully accurate, having many experiences of Merlin mistakes. However, I got a good enough view of the head to note the pattern of red on the face of this bird. Red-naped sapsuckers have a red spot on the back of the head and another behind the eye.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	I am reasonably familiar with red-naped sapsuckers, having lived in Wyoming for two years in environments where they nested. There I got used to looking for the white patch at the underside of the base of the bill on female red-naped sapsuckers. I have seen yellow-bellied several times before on visits east, but not often and not for some time. I have been a birder for some 25 years now, and I have a Master's Degree in Raptor Biology from Boise State University. That said, everyone makes mistakes and I don't claim to be an expert on woodpeckers.
References consulted:	Sibley Bird app
Description from:	Notes taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Keith Barnes
Observer's address:	1330 W DUNDEE ST
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	None, I was alone.
Date prepared:	1/5/2025
Additional material:	No_additional_Materials
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