This past Thursday I was thrilled to photograph a handsome male Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the times when I see towhees, they are poking about in the leaves, half hidden by the shadows, so it was wonderful to get a few unobstructed shots of one.
As I was doing a little research on this bird, I came across this wonderful description of the species on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website:
“A strikingly marked, oversized sparrow of the East, feathered in bold black and warm reddish-browns – if you can get a clear look at it. Eastern Towhees are birds of the undergrowth, where their rummaging makes far more noise than you would expect for their size. Their chewink calls let you know how common they are, but many of your sightings end up mere glimpses through tangles of little stems.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wonderful capture! Perfectly framed.
Good for you! He is a wonderful bird, and hard to see much less catch a shot. I especially love their song what sounds like “Drink your teeeeeee!” 👍
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
He had things to say to you!!
Indeed he did. He did not seem too happy with my presence. 🙂
Nice Mike! Great photo of one out in the open!
Wonderful detail, including his feet! A very nice find, Mike.
I thought they were called rufous-sided towhees. Is that different or just a nickname? You are right. Whenever I hear their call “Drink your tea!” I never even bother to look for them because they are so rarely seen. Great shots.
Nina, you prompted me to do a little research. According to audubon.org, the species formerly known as “Rufous-sided Towhee” was split into two species, one of which is the Eastern Towhee. Here is what the website says, “The study of birds, like any science, remains a work in progress. New findings about birds’ DNA or other attributes bring changes in classification of species, which often result in new names. Take the Rufous-sided Towhee, found across North America. Differences between its western and eastern forms – plumage, songs, genetics – brought an official split into two distinct species: the Spotted Towhee in the West, the Eastern Towhee in the East.” Mystery solved. 🙂
Wow, thanks for checking on that! (As I posted the comment, I was thinking, I should just google this and not bother Mike about it!) Very interesting.
Today we got a little bluebird feeder and some dehydrated mealworms. We’ve been seeing a little group of bluebirds in the front yard and are hoping to entice them to stick around. Wish us luck!
Good luck with the bluebirds–I love those colorful little birds.
Such a handsome bird, well-captured, Mike. My, those thorns looks vicious! It’s a wonder that they don’t impale themselves.
Thanks, Eliza. I don’t know if those thorns are as sharp and deadly as they look and didn’t venture close enough to find out.