Sapsucker ID Help (Once Again) - Cheesman (Denver)

[Jared Del Rosso]

For the third time this year, I'm seeking help ID'ing a  Cheesman sapsucker. This time, I don't have photos, as I encountered the bird while walking my dog this morning at the park. The bird moved between a small juniper and several large deciduous trees on the park's western edge. It perched, more than once, on open, well-lit perches at eye level, affording good looks. (The looks would have been better if my dog hadn't been tugging at its leash; all that tugging explains why I had my binoculars, but not my camera.) 

The bird was a juvenile. I have no experience with juvenile of either species and, so, did not know if there were any marks to pay close attention to. What I noticed, though, was a sapsucker with messy barring across the back; a bit of barring at the very bottom of the back was noticeably brighter than most of the barring above it. The bird had a brownish, dingy colored head. I did not see red on either the bird's nape or throat. The throat was by no means clean white, but it seemed brighter white than the supercillum. A brownish breast gave way to a light belly. 

I've read that juvenile Red-naped Sapsucker generally molt in October and will begin to look more like the adults. This bird did not give me that impression. But I don't know if that's enough to help things along with the ID. 

Feel free to share thoughts on or off list.

Thanks,

Jared Del Rosso

Denver, CO