Spotted Towhee – A Nemesis No Longer

I’ve had occasional distant and cluttered glimpses of Spotted Towhees over the years but quality photographs of them have always eluded me. Until yesterday.

 

spotted towhee 6863 ron dudley

 1/800, f/8, ISO 400, Canon XTi, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

My best chance came years ago, on October 1, 2007 (soon after I began photographing birds – notice the “ancient” camera in my techs), while I was skulking in the weeds at Farmington as I attempted to photograph grebes on the 4-way pond. I heard a rustling sound in front of me and when I looked up from my viewfinder this stunning bird was looking back at me from an incredibly close distance. We were eyeball to eyeball and at the time I didn’t even know what species I was looking at but I certainly did  know that I wanted photos of it.

But I was much too close to the bird. Occasionally I could focus on it but I couldn’t get its entire body in the frame. I knew that if I took the time (and made the necessary commotion) to remove my teleconverter the bird would be long-gone so I snapped off 13 close-up portraits in less than five seconds before the bird flew off.

 

 

spotted towhee 6863b ron dudley

Here’s the full frame (uncropped) version of the image to demonstrate the problem I had due to my closeness to the bird. I do like this cropped portrait (first image) for the detail but one of my primary bird photography goals was now to get quality photos of Spotted Towhees without clipping or cutting off body parts or having anything else go wrong.

It didn’t happen until yesterday. That’s 2759 days!

 

 

spotted towhee 1637 ron dudley

  1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

My experience with this male Spotted Towhee yesterday in the west desert didn’t begin well. Typical of the species, he and his mate were skulking deep in the sagebrush and a few small junipers that lined the road and I just couldn’t get a clear shot of either one. For a split second the male landed on this blindingly bright perch and I was able to shoot through most of the obstructions to get this near butt-shot but I don’t like the bright setting and out of focus elements at lower right so for me the image is only documentary.

But then the towhee did something unheard of. He cooperated.

 

 

spotted towhee 1661 ron dudley

 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

He hopped up onto this exposed, elevated perch in good light and posed for me for several seconds. I couldn’t believe it. He even gave me a side view with good eye contact from that distinctive “morocco red” eye.

Conquering this nemesis took a very long time but I think that contributes to the satisfaction I feel to have finally created a few images of the species that I like quite well. I’ll try to improve on them down the road but for now I’m quite happy with yesterday’s results.

Ron

33 Comments

  1. I have always called these a Rufous-sided towhee because it SOUNDS so ‘bird educated’. They are around our yard all the time and enjoy using our fountain to sneak a bath. Funny thing though…they are a creature of habit, in that they ALWAYS take the same path in and out with the same places to stop and check the surroundings. I can prefocus and know where he will be for the shot. LOVE this bird!!! Your shots are a testament to your patience as these guys are very wary….and as you know…quick!

  2. Charlotte Norton

    Sensational series Ron! I’m so envious, it’s my nemesis as well.
    Charlotte

  3. Humming Bird Lover

    Hi!

    What a beautiful bird! Great shooting! Have a special day!

  4. That Towee does have pretty impressive claws…don’t mind super long ones on a bird, but on a human, they make want to toss my cookies!!! Can’t even look at them….YUK!!!

  5. Betsy Livingstone

    So nice to see these dignified portraits of one of my favorite birds. I’m lucky enough to see them nearly every day because they are resident here in Sonoma County, CA (about 70 miles north of San Francisco). They nest, scratch, call and sing in the native shrubs and trees around my house. I never thought of them as “skulking” – but yours may have been, because they were watching you! We also have the California (brown) towhees who are a little friendlier. Thanks for the lovely images as always!

    • Mine were definitely skulking, Betsy – didn’t think they were ever going to come out, and the female never did. I’m jealous that you get to see them ever day.

  6. Great pictures, Ron. I was noticing the difference in beak color also. Is that age or time of year? We followers appreciate all you do.

    • Ann,in adults of both sexes the bill is uniformly black, though sometimes the lower mandible is lighter. I believe the first bird to be a juvenile and that accounts for its lighter colored bill. Not positive about that though…

  7. Congratulations on doing so well with this bird and getting it to cooperate! I couldn’t help but notice the difference in eye color between the two birds. Do the males have red and the females brown eyes? Or is the red color part of mating ‘plumage’. We actually get them at Hueco Tanks, and I have seen one closely enough to recognize it. But not to photograph it in any way, shape or form.

  8. Ron, I love them all. The first one the bird looks so inquisitive and the last the red eye makes him look stern. I know anthropomorphizing. Must tell you that this post and photos turned an ugly day for me into a pleasure. I am smiling just thinking of the last photo. Thanks so much.

  9. Congratulations!!! Those first two images are amazing…LOVE the detail!!! So glad you got to put him on your Gotcha list. It’s a funny coincidence for me as just yesterday, I was thonking of the birds I used to see often but either seldom see now or don’t see at all anymore. What prompted these thoughts was the song of only one bird, no others, singing all by himself as dawn broke…we used to hear a DIN of birdsong in the morning. Towees, with their funny two-footed scratching, were one of them…I was thinking how I miss them. Then, here’s this morning’s blog…with a Towee!

    • It’s funny how birdsong can trigger memories, isn’t it, Patty – almost as strongly as smells can. Many folks instantly remember childhood incidents associated with meadowlarks when they hear their distinctive song.

  10. I love these guys … and you really caught that beautiful red eye to perfection!!! Congratulations!!!

  11. Smashing shots! I actually really love the one of the female (assuming they are dimorphic?) peeking into the frame.

  12. Mikal Deese, CWR

    Very cool! I’ve only seen a few Spotted Towhees in person, and certainly not close enough to see the eye color. The contrast between the brown eye in the first and the red in yesterday’s bird is striking. I’m assuming that the first was immature, so the eye color is a way to age them. Is that correct? Ron, thank you for giving my daily bird hit!

  13. Great shots, all of them!! I occasionally get a Eastern Towhee pass through my yard here in PA. I get so excited I can hardly hold my camera! Have a few shots of a pair. Nothing that looks as good as your amazing work.

  14. Well worth the 2759 day wait. I love the perch, background, dark head and red eye in the last image.

  15. Man, look at those toe nails in the third picture! If one didn’t know it was a ground scratcher before, one would know it now!
    Great shots Ron, great job!

  16. Great photos!

  17. Worth the wait Ron! Exquisite! I do not comment often Ron but do know your “works of art” always make me pause!

  18. Woo-Hoo – the thrill of success, Ron!! It’s a beautiful bird & the rewards of these photos for you & we followers of your amazing photos is great!! Job well done!!

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