Did I find a Life Bird in Cave Creek Canyon?

 What Warbler is this?

I saw this warbler in Cave Creek Canyon on October 4, 2013 near the Sunny Flats Campground Area. It was high in the trees alongside the road so most of these photos are blurry or my view of the bird is obstructed in one way or another. I really hope it is a Hermit Warbler in fall plumage but fear it is simply a Townsend’s. I only have one clear shot of the bird’s head as it flew from one branch to another. Otherwise it simply crept along the branches and my only views of it are of its underbelly or sides.

 

 

Are those cheek patches or shadows?

 

There appears to be a few fine streaks on the sides.

 

But there isn’t any yellow on the breast.

 

View from below.

 

Back and side view.

 

Full on side view.

Besides the fall plumage issue, these two species do interbreed and produce hybrids. While a Hermit Warbler would be a Life Bird for me, I don’t want to claim it if I haven’t seen it. All of these photos were taken within a 60 to 90 second time frame.

So…is it a Hermit Warbler or a Townsend's Warbler?

What say you?

Notes: By the time this publishes Gus and I will be on the road and headed east. I will check in whenever I can, but we are travelling with 2 cats and a dog and trying to out maneuver the winter storms! We’ll see how THAT goes!

You can read all the posts from Cave Creek Canyon by clicking the link below.

• Cave Creek Canyon