On my way into work this morning, I stopped at the bird blind at Peace Valley Nature Center for a little relaxation. 22 species of birds were at the feeders, including something I'd never seen before--a juvenile Eastern Towhee (see photo by Birdfoto). It spent most of its time on the ground in the bushes or grass below a couple feeders, but a few times it flew up onto a feeder or into a pine tree. In flight, huge white patches in the wings and white outter tail feathers might remind one of a mockingbird. Eastern Towhees are a species of conservation concern, as they nest in shrubby understory of forests that are the favorite food of the overabundant White-tailed Deer in the East. The nature center here has a deer exclusion fence around the bird feeding area...good to see that at least one baby towhee made it out of the nest there.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Baby Towhee
On my way into work this morning, I stopped at the bird blind at Peace Valley Nature Center for a little relaxation. 22 species of birds were at the feeders, including something I'd never seen before--a juvenile Eastern Towhee (see photo by Birdfoto). It spent most of its time on the ground in the bushes or grass below a couple feeders, but a few times it flew up onto a feeder or into a pine tree. In flight, huge white patches in the wings and white outter tail feathers might remind one of a mockingbird. Eastern Towhees are a species of conservation concern, as they nest in shrubby understory of forests that are the favorite food of the overabundant White-tailed Deer in the East. The nature center here has a deer exclusion fence around the bird feeding area...good to see that at least one baby towhee made it out of the nest there.
I'm finding this 16 years after you posted it. I wanted to thank you because this particular photo helped me ID who I saw. Some other juvenile ET photos were close but still looked more solid colored than who I saw. This photo looks exactly like him and helped me confirm that he was a juvenile ET and not an unfamiliar species to me. Thanks for sharing!
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