ML212363351

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

When first seen, since I had just looked at a Ladder-backed male in an adjacent tree, I thought these were more LBWOs. This is due to the extensive white/black lateral barring across the back of one of the individuals. But then I noticed it was apparently larger, and the facial and head pattern seemed off for a LBWO. Two individuals were in the tree together (within perhaps 5 feet), so I approached to get a better view of both. In the first bird (male?) I saw, there was no trace of red in the nape. There was a solid red chin and throat, bounded by black. The facial pattern was more white than black, with a wide white supercilium which broadened as it wrapped around towards the back of the head. The moustachial stripe was white and thick. The wings were black with white barring / spotting. I readied my camera to document it but it re-positioned and I could not find it again. However, the other individual remained, and I was able to get three images of it. Both the chin and throat were white with no amount of red. The facial pattern is strongly "white with black" as opposed to being black-dominated (more like a RNSA). The white moustachial stripe is wide. Image RWK_2985cropped shows a hint of the bird's red cap, and also shows the total lack of red on the chin or throat. The back is more white than black, more like a YBSA than a RNSA. The underparts are strongly yellow, and while RNSA can have slight wash of dingy yellow on the underparts, I believe the extent of the yellow is more indicative of a Yellow-bellied than a Red-naped (see especially image RWK_2984cropped). Altogether, my observations, as well as the three images of the female, strongly suggest the birds were Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, rather than Red-naped Sapsuckers. Typical range for YBSA notwithstanding, there are multiple documented reports for YBSA at this location.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D500

ISO

250

Focal length

310 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/800 sec

Dimensions

851 pixels x 917 pixels

Original file size

195.85 KB