Is this not just a lovely bird?
The Eastern Towhee, also known around here as the Rufus-sided Towhee.
This is the female and they are pretty shy birds, usually hiding in bushes and shrubs.
You can hear their voice call their name...Tooooowhee ;)
Well, I have made headway with Google...had to hire a man to help me, and it was worth every dime.
He found 454 potential viruses on my PC, not including hundreds of other naughty things, that could have wrecked havoc on our system.
We have an online security system, that evidently keeps them from striking, yet they were certainly lurking...
Hoping that everyone is doing well.
We are under a Winter Storm Watch now through Monday, as are many parts of this country.
Truly it is enough and I sure will be happy when Spring arrives and then we can complain about tornado threats...
Happy week to all~
Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared
I will also be linking up with Mary at:
Mosaic Monday
at:
Mosaic Monday
at:
As well as I am linking up with Stewart at:
Wild Bird Wednesday
A light snow was resting upon the seed pods at a near by park and I thought they looked rather nice, along side the Towhees ;)~
White-throated Sparrows come for the season every Winter and such nice birds to have around, just delightful and if you look closely at their feathers around the face, it looks like they could have used a mascara wand~
In my bird guides, I have only entered less than 5 Winters that a single Fox Sparrow has visited.
This Winter, we have had 2 of them.
They are a real favorite of mine.
Their colour is quite striking and in certain lighting, can look magenta to copper~
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This is my little side garden, where most of the bird feeding is done.
I have seed feeders, suet feeders, and under the large yard umbrella, I throw seeds mixed with popcorn, stale bread, cereal, and when I have them, dehydrated mealworms.
We only place enough seed in the feeders for the day, as the Raccoons will empty them during the evening, if I keep them full, at least during the colder season.
Many a small birds, the House Wrens, Carolina Wrens and such will use the nesting boxes during the night, and they will fit 3 to 4 in the boxes, with only their tail tips sticking out of the holes~
Fox Sparrow~
White-throated Sparrow~
We are simply charmed by these little Fox Sparrows~
For the 2 Fox Sparrows, there are probably a good 30 White-throated Sparrows visiting on a daily basis~
One of those captures that will just make you smile~
I am awful at Sparrow identification, when I do not see them often.
The one above looks a lot like a Swamp Sparrow, and the one below a Song Sparrow, but I sure would accept another opinion.
Whatever they were, there was only one of each for that day~
i'd love to see a towhee and a fox sparrow, both! lovely! glad you got some help on your computer issues!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous series of birds, Mary! I love the pretty Towhee and Fox Sparrow. Beautiful mosaics. Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful series of collages you made of birds, Birds just fascinate me. Wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! I'm sorry to hear you had all of those viruses/malware. The latest winter storm is staying just south of me this time, so I will only see the outer edge of it, and a few inches, a downgrade from their original predictions. Spring can't get here soon enough.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos/collages again. That Towhee is so beautiful. I always enjoy seeing what you're photographing. That Fox Sparrow is really pretty too - I've never seen one of those.
ReplyDeleteReally nice photos of the Towhee! We don't see them around here. A pair visited the feeders once, but that was last fall. Nice sparrows, too.
ReplyDeleteReally beautiful images again, Mary. The Towhee is such a pretty bird. Can't help with the bird identification - am only just starting to learn the birds of our area. Stay cozy. Winter can't last forever!
ReplyDeleteWe love spotting the towhee's too. You took amazing photos and you always make the best mosaics. We finally spotted some towhees here in Florida....we kept hearing them but finally saw them. I got one slightly blurry photo! lol Sweet hugs!
ReplyDeleteFantastic collages!!!! Nicely done! Cathy
ReplyDeleteWonderful collection. The towhees and white throats always a pleasure to view. We had a half inch of icy stuff before dark. It has been mostly sleet so far since then. Hope this ice event is kinder to ya'll.
ReplyDeleteVery lovely little cute birds.
ReplyDeleteSpectacular seasonal collages, Mary, of your neck of the woods, which, despite the snow and cold, are bright and crisp and full of drama, I see! The fox sparrow is blessed with such fine speckling and the pretty towhee, scurrying among the dry, fallen leaves and snow, in between the the thin branches is dainty and delightful! You are so very lucky to have these little entertainers visit you and I'm sure they are grateful for your hospitality!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week!
Poppy
oh those Towhees are such lovely little fellows Mary. And I love those seed pod heads and the red berries against the snow. I know you have had enough of winter - you certainly have had a battery up there this year - but oh I so love your winter images. Stay warm and have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteThe Eastern Towhee, wow, no wonder that you gave him a full page, it is a beauty Mary.
ReplyDeleteFantastic collages as always. You have such great pictures and insight to these birds. What a great service to the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
All those viruses/malware! Thank goodness your PC received some urgent attention before something really bad happened.
ReplyDeleteI love your collages this week with all the snowy backgrounds and so many sparrows to puzzle over and I agree that Fox Sparrow and Rufous sided Towhee are rather special birds.
I really hope the weather warms up for you soon. It has been a long hard winter.
All the best to you and yours for the rest of the week.
As to your 2 mystery birds, I have to admit I consulted my Crossley Guide and it looks like you were spot on Mary - Swamp Sparrow and Song Sparrow I reckon.
Such a lot of great shots! Love the little birdie, too!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a computer whiz but I do have some 'clean up' programs that I used once a month to get rid of those 'lurkers'. You might want to ask your computer guy about stuff you can do yourself. :)
Lovely photos!
ReplyDelete//Scaniatjejen
http://www.scaniatjejen.se
Whenever I stop by your blog I learn so much! Absolutely beautiful collages. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLOVE our collages! And I'm looking forward to seeing towhees later this spring. ;)
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos! I love the rusty colours of the towhee.
ReplyDeleteA truely beautiful set, all those birds are new to me, and they are so good to see.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Gordon.
Always such wonderful photos! The Towhee is a handsome bird.
ReplyDeleteHI Mary I am so glad you got your computer fixed.What a lot of viruses! you have spoiled us with so many wonderful bird and teasel shot all against your wonderful snow. I know you are probably getting tired of it but it makes for great shots and we have not had any this year.
ReplyDeleteNow that white throated sparrow is one I want to find here...so far, no go. And the Tohwee, I've seen ONE and then had the camera aimed to take a photo, and a young boy [toddler] in the park saw me and ran up to me asking questions about my binoculars and camera...scared the tohwee off. Bummer.
ReplyDeleteGreat series on all the birds.
ReplyDeleteThe birds are particularly beautiful set against the white background of snow. I'm so sorry about your computer--its funny how not only do we get viruses, but our technology does too!
ReplyDeleteNice set of pictures - I saw some Towhees this week - which is not something I can normally say!
ReplyDeletePictures to follow when I recover from the jet lag!
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Well, one of the joys of being behind in reading my favorites is finding out the same day I read about your puter problems that you have more or less got them solved. (I forgot to notice the date on the last post before I commented.) These birds are beautiful too....we have towhees in Oregon and I thought they were rufous-sided towhees, but it must be a different variety.
ReplyDeleteI'm learning so much about birds by visiting your blog. Lovely photos and such beautiful, earthy colors of the birds. Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting on my Oregon coast pics!
ReplyDelete