When I spotted this bird on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, it was facing away from me and I couldn’t immediately identify it. It had fluffed up its feathers and appeared to be basking in the sunlight.
When it finally turned its head slightly, I caught a glimpse of its red eyes and realized that it was probably an Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus). All of the other times that I have seen towhees in the past, they have been foraging in the cluttered undergrowth, so it was a real treat to see one more or less in the open. As a bonus, the light coming from the left helped to illuminate some of the details of the bird’s beautiful feathers and the bird’s pose is quite different from that of a typical perched bird .
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Towhees are one of the most handsome birds in the East. Their colors, their calls, their presence is just outstanding. I’m sure you caught a rare view where their colors are not vividly displayed. Nice shot though.
Thanks, Sally. I didn’t capture all of the colors of the towhee, but I was happy to be able to capture some of the beautiful details of the feathers.