I have become an avid birder, even registered with Cornell Lab of Ornithology so I can note what shows up in my back yard for their information. Granted, I have a limited inventory to take note of at the moment because I can't go out birding to other areas away from my home. But I have learned how to use my long lens (finally) and have become more adept at taking pictures from my upstairs room.
One of my favorite birds is the Eastern Towhee. For years it has been called the Rufous Sided Towhee, but now instead of the broad application, it has been divided into two groups - the Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee. We have the Eastern here, and I love to watch them, but they are hard to photograph because they move so quickly as they feed on the ground, and they like shrubs and low hanging tree branches; they even build their nests on the ground. They have russet colored eyes along with a handsome coat but getting that all in sharp focus has been impossible!
Until.....
The other afternoon as I walked up to the window near my bed, I noticed a towhee sitting on the fence! That was just so unusual. He sat completely still, and he was on a fence! Not part of expected towhee behavior. Muttering to myself "Please don't move!" I turned on the camera and shifted it down to focus on him. Not only did he not move, I was able to get some stunning shots!
One of my favorite birds is the Eastern Towhee. For years it has been called the Rufous Sided Towhee, but now instead of the broad application, it has been divided into two groups - the Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee. We have the Eastern here, and I love to watch them, but they are hard to photograph because they move so quickly as they feed on the ground, and they like shrubs and low hanging tree branches; they even build their nests on the ground. They have russet colored eyes along with a handsome coat but getting that all in sharp focus has been impossible!
The best I could do, it seemed, was this. The eyes aren't apparent and it's not in sharp focus.
Until.....
The other afternoon as I walked up to the window near my bed, I noticed a towhee sitting on the fence! That was just so unusual. He sat completely still, and he was on a fence! Not part of expected towhee behavior. Muttering to myself "Please don't move!" I turned on the camera and shifted it down to focus on him. Not only did he not move, I was able to get some stunning shots!
You can see how beautiful he is! The female is a dark rich brown instead of black, but has the other markings. Notice his feet? They seem a bit larger than other song birds; I think it's because of how they hunt for food. They make a rapid hop forward, then back, dragging leaf litter off of a patch of ground so they can eat whatever is hiding underneath. They also do that on snow, trying to get to whatever food may be there.
The song they sing sounds like "Drink your teeeeea!"
This page has a button to click for the song, and for other calls they make. The sound is clearer there than if you play the video at the top of the page.
I keep my camera on a tripod in front of the window so I am ready when I see a bird. It has really helped, since I have to spend so much time on the bed.
Hope you enjoyed learning about the bird of the day!
Live your life one day at a time!
