ML613023115

Observation details

Warbler-shaped and small-sized bird, briefly seen flying between trees. Initially identified as Black-throated Gray Warbler based on recorded "chip" calls. This would be a great bird for the Cachuma CBC (2nd only), but not entirely unlikely as two other individuals had recently been reported at nearby locations, namely at Sedgwick Reserve on December 13, 2023 (checklist S156273737) and at Figueroa Mountain Road on December 22, 2023 (checklist S156868895). However, upon further thought, this recording can also be of Townsend's Warbler, of which several were reported on this day at the Cachuma CBC. (A third possibility would be a Myrtle's Yellow-rumped Warbler, but the bird seemed too small for that.) Merlin identifies this as a Black-throated Gray Warbler, while BirdNet is pretty much 50/50 between that and Townsend's Warbler (with a much smaller, additional probability for Hermit Warbler). The recording of the chip calls is included for experts to weigh in on. Until then, I'm leaving this as a sp.