Sandy Vongries Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Weishaupt Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Sandy, your bird is a Western Towhee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Vongries Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 Thanks! I usually look them up. Had this one wrong so long that I can't recall the source of the I.D. We get so many new birds day to day out here, it is pretty amazing. Two new ones along with this familiar one just last night when I took these shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin Barkdoll Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 We heard these in abundance camping in Utah earlier this year. Here's a link to a range map of various spotted towhee subspecies. Apparently this is not an exhaustive list. "Splitters", as opposed to taxonomic lumpers, were probably pleased when rufous sided towhees were split into spotted and eastern species. Similarly for yellow rumped -> myrtle and Audubon's. Conversely I grew up with yellow and red shafted flickers being separate now I guess they're cosidered subspecies of northern flickers. Ah, minutiae... https://identify.whatbird.com/img/4/64012/image.aspx Test Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill J Boyd Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Sandy...another vote for a Spotted Towhee. Started to reply last night when you posted but was not 100 percent sure of my ID. BTW, this is what they look like in Texas, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Vongries Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 Edwin, Bill thanks! Two new visitors last night, only got photos of one, So far, looks like it might be one of the Kingbirds. Photos are not the best, when I get a good one, I'll post. Looking at my old Audubon Guide it is probably a Western Kingbird. The other is a puzzler -- a bit larger than a Robin, brown with prominent head stripes around the eye. Just recollection, it was there and gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Weishaupt Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I admit to being a taxonomic lumper, but fungi are very different. One of my older Peterson bird books has Rufus Sided and "Spotted Western Race" for Towhees. I omitted the "spotted". My mistake, so hit me with a mushroom. I mainly wanted to get the bird away from being an Oriole. Pretty birds, east or west. I seldom see the Rufus around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Vongries Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 Laura, y'all are miles ahead of me. Have always been interested in nature. A long shelf full of field guides, but certainly a generalist and dilettante. In the right place for birds, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Weishaupt Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Sandy, one bird book you may want to add to your shelf, if not already there, is the small Sibley field guide. It will fit in the camera bag or large pant pockets and has excellent illustrations. You can probably find a version applicable to your region. I have one in addition to the larger version, which is very nice also. I use the larger one at home. The smaller one travels and occasionally lives in the car. I'd always rather know who is flying through the yard than ignore them, but admit birds aren't my forte. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Vongries Posted August 10, 2017 Author Share Posted August 10, 2017 Thanks, Laura! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now