Young sapsucker in Denver City Park (Denver Co)

[Patrick O'Driscoll]

Just saw and pursued from tree to tree a juvenile-immature sapsucker, either Red-naped or Yellow-bellied, in the southwest corner of the park about 100 yards northeast of the York-18th Ave intersection.

Smattering of streaky red on head of this brown-tinged bird could mean either. Both very rare here.  I’ll look at my pix at home to get a better read.

Bird’s attention span was short so no idea if it’ll stick in that area. But the west side of the park has the oldest trees and is also where I saw adults of both those species a week apart in April 2018.

Good birding,

Patrick O’Driscoll 

Denver

[Patrick O'Driscoll]

After examining my photos, it's a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Denver City Park on this Sunday. (I'll post pix on eBird later today.)

Streaky bits of red coming in on the crown are mixed with the "yellow scallops" that Cornell Birds of the World describes for a YBSA juvenile; there is none of the dark crown cast attributed to Red-naped.

Pretty sure it's a male. Early red at chin and neck are muted, almost washed, but no room for the white of a female.

Also, FYI, I misremembered a date in my original post:

I saw adult Yellow-bellied and Red-naped sapsuckers a week apart in City Park in April 2017, not 2018.

Incidentally, that was the first eBird record of Red-naped in the park (with a second sighting of the same bird reported a week later).

It was just the second Yellow-bellied sighting, so today's makes the third on record.

Patrick O'Driscoll

Denver