Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca), Santa Cruz River, near the intersection of Silverbell & Sunset roads, Tucson, Pima County

This immature Blackburnian Warbler was first found by Chris McCreedy on the Tucson Valley CBC on 21 December 2008 along the Santa Cruz River between El Camino del Cerro and Sunset Rd. It was relocated the next day in the same area by several Tucson birders and photographed by Dave Stejskal.  It was also photographed by Rick Taylor on 10 January 2009 and Laurens Halsey on 12 January 2009.

Blackburnian Warbler is one of the scarcest of the Eastern wood-warblers to occur in Arizona, with almost all of the fewer than twenty records for the state coming from October. This individual represents the first winter record ever for the state and one of only a handful overall from southeast Arizona. Blackburnian Warbler is casual at best in North America in the winter months (wintering primarily in the northern Andes of South America), with fewer than ten winter records from California and no prior winter records at all from the interior West.

These photos show all of the pertinent field marks of this species that superficially resembles the more familiar Townsend's Warbler in most plumages. The combination of a boldly streaked back (particularly the thick, white 'braces' on either side of the back), pale crown stripe, and the lower rear corner of the dark auricular patch joined with the smudgy dusky streaking on the side of the neck all eliminate Townsend's and any other similar species.

12 January 2009, photos by Laurens Halsey

 

10 January 2009, photos by Rick Taylor

22 December 2008, photos by Dave Stejskal

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