Tag Archives: Spotted Towhee

Rozanne Rapozo caught this Spotted Towhee as it hopped up. Rozanne and three other coast photographers were over at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay last Saturday. This is one of the photos Rozanne got that day.

Another photo is of the Violet-green Swallow nesting box under the eves of our roof, facing west. The parents have been busy feeding their chicks. When one of the parents leave, he/she might be carrying a fecal sac out of the nest. That is what Rozanne photographed here.

Having birds choose to nest on your property seems like a gift...and that gift brings joy for many days.

Thanks to Rozanne for allowing me to share her photos with you here. Bonus Fun Fact: Rozanne makes the best cheesecake in the world!

It's a lovely day here. No fog to speak of this morning and it's totally gone this afternoon. This might be the perfect weekend to be on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast!

Rick and I often see a Spotted Towhee or two foraging for seeds under our bird feeder. They are very beautiful birds. Paul Brewer recently trained his camera onto one.

Their calls are rather quiet compared to other birds. You can hear their call at this link at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Towhee/sounds

Spotted Towhees used to be called Rufous-sided Towhees. They scratch for bugs and seeds on the ground with a two-footed backward-scratching hop. It's quite fun to watch.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

Things are back to normal after the four day power outage. It's quite a beautiful day here on the Mendonoma coast.

Spotted Towhees are large Sparrows found in the West. Previously called Rufous-sided Towhees, they can be seen hopping in leaves, looking for seeds or other food. They make a double scratching motion in their search for food, which includes insects. They are a striking bird, as Robert Scarola's photo will show.

Except when the male is singing in the spring to attract a mate, these birds are mostly quiet. Their hopping/scratching motion is what attracts my attention when they are under our bird feeder scoring seeds knocked out by the various Jays.

Thanks to Robert for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To hear the songs and calls of a Spotted Towhee, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/spotted_towhee/sounds