When it’s done in snow the results of the ‘towhee twostep’ can be pretty spectacular.
Yesterday morning it was still heavily overcast after the snowstorm of the night before so I went looking for the same Spotted Towhee I’d photographed near the Jordan River the previous day. The lighting was so poor that most winter birds weren’t worth photographing but I hoped the colors and patterns of the towhee would help him to stand out better against the snow.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
I found him in the same area I’d photographed him the previous day, only this time the ground was covered with several inches of snow. In this particular spot some of the conifer twigs on the ground were sticking out of the snow so it was his favorite place to scratch for food.
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Anyone who’s ever watched a towhee scratch for food probably remembers their distinctive technique – a technique I’ve begun calling the “towhee twostep”. Some call it a “hop scratch” but avian researchers refer to it as the “bilateral scratch” because they scratch with both feet at the same time. The only way that can be accomplished is for the dual scratching motion to occur while the bird is in mid-air during a hop. Cornell’s Birds of the World describes the entire process this way:
- “Generally a single, complete scratch sequence involves two successive hops: forward preparatory hop followed without pause by backward power hop; during latter hop, uses both feet as composite rake to displace litter rearward and then to catch itself quickly in standing position. This behavior is unaccompanied by overt wing or tail movements.”
At the shutter speeds available to me in this poor light the actual scratching motion was so fast his legs and feet were just a blur but I did manage to capture the immediate aftermath of one of his scratches.
1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Here he had just landed after his second hop in the sequence, the hop where the backward scratching motion occurs while he’s still mostly off the ground or substrate. An immense amount of snow is flying through the air with additional flying snow obscuring most of the bird except for his head. There’s much more flying snow out of frame to the left that we can’t see.
It was literally an explosion of snow.
All this happens so incredibly fast the casual observer would likely be unaware of how efficient this method is at displacing large amounts of snow or debris on the ground so more food can be found.
1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Even he seemed gobsmacked by how much snow he sent flying. “Wow, did I do that?”
His expression in this photo delights me. It reminds me of Wile E. Coyote in the Roadrunner cartoons just before a huge boulder comes crashing down on his head.
I swear, the next time it snows I’m going hire this bird to ‘shovel’ my sidewalks and driveway.
Ron
Note: I took some artistic license with the order in which I presented these photos. I did it for effect but what I described and what the photos illustrate is exactly what I saw through my viewfinder, multiple times.Â
Late addendum: Sheri Sturdevant found this video of the scratching behavior of a Spotted Towhee. It’s excellent. Here’s the link.Â
Another awesome blog. The last photograph is so hilaring after reading your comparaison with the coyote. Thank you so much.
Wow — that two-step is really efficient (thank you Sheri for the video). I’d love to have a few Spotted Towhees to help with raking my leaves and seed pods — then I can send them your way to assist with your shoveling.
I’m really impressed with how well these shots turned out, especially considering the light, snow, and bird conditions. You are quite the skilled master! Especially love the last two shots with the snow flying and the bewildered expression!
Marty, it was only with a little extra tinkering during processing that I was able to get these photos looking as good as they do. It was really tough shooting in that light in the snow.
Great capture of the snow flying. I love the silly look on the last photo. I tried to photograph the towhees at my house yesterday, not luck, butts, branches and blurs is all I got.
“Butts, branches and blurs” – sounds like the title of a future blog post, April…
I am crazy for towhees — well, Spotted & Green-tailed (CA are rather bland), but they all do the double-time scratching in leaf litter/debris (and snow!), and it’s so interesting to watch. I’d swear they’re teaching the white-crowned sparrows in my backyard how to do it, too.
These photos (and yesterday’s) are just wonderful, such a handsome, bright-looking bird, and the expression in that last image is priceless. 😎
Thanks, Chris. This towhee was also mixed in with White-crowned Sparrows, on both days.
I am duly impressed that you caught him in snowplow mode, but even more so that your exposure differentiates his white breast from the snow. I took some pictures of one the other day in similar conditions of snow and overcast and blew out all the whites while trying not to underexpose the head and eye.
Lyle, what you describe is a very tough exposure. In the case of my photos I think the bird’s whites are exposed reasonably well but I have very little detail in most of the snow.
WHAT an agile little charmer. And how nice that it was co-operative too and you found it again.
Many thanks. Again.
Thank you, EC.
This is a terrific series of photos, both yesterday and today! Where I live, I had a spotted towhee in my yard only one time, but everyday there is a pair of Aberts Towhees doing the two-step! They scratch in the gravel where I ground feed and usually come up with something to eat, even if I hadn’t tossed the feed on the ground. Every year they bring their young, usually 2 to learn where they would be likely to find food. Towhees are very entertaining and I’m lucky to have these birds in my yard, year round! Thanks!
Pat, I’m jealous of the towhees bringing their family to your yard.
Yes it is pretty cool. I also get Northern Cardinal pair bringing their kid, too. Of course, my favorite are the Gambel’s Quail clutches, which I adore!
Love, love, love that last expression! They definitely work for their food. I get quite a few Fox Sparrows at my feeders and they do the same two step… one forward leap, one backward scratch. So delightful to watch.Three or four of them at a time and you get a lot raking done! 😊 Now only if they were larger…
Interesting about Fox Sparrows, Kathy. I didn’t know that they do it too though I’m aware the behavior isn’t restricted to Spotted Towhees.
Love it, Ron! I had a Spotted Towhee on my Christmas Bird Count on 1/2/21- a very good bird for St. Louis! And yes, leaf debris was definitely airborne!
Thank you, Diane.
I LOVE this series and the background information. I especially love the last photo! To me, the expression is more assertive and says, “Yeah, what? Nothing to see here! Move along, human. Move along!”
I’m also always impressed by the persistence of life and the varied ways in which different folks have developed to deal with adversity.
Another issue: the whole catch light thing has been fermenting and percolating in my little mind. For whatever it’s worth, that’s not a big thing for me. In fact, I rarely notice it unless you point it out. And I notice there’s no catch light in this bird’s eye(s). Conundrum for me!!
Overall, EXCELLENT series. THANK YOU!
Laura, something I’ve mentioned several times before is the fact that a catch light isn’t really necessary with birds with colored eyes, like this towhee. The color provides the ‘life’ in the eyes usually provided by the catch light.
Also, I don’t necessarily require catch lights in my own photos whose purpose is primarily documentation of behaviors.
Delightful in every way.
Thanks, Kellie.
Those last two are especially good. I love watching them do the “two step” in the snow. No better target in a snow storm than the Spotted Towhee. If you don’t appreciate their ability to scratch for food with both feet – go outside and try it. 🙂
No thanks, Everett. I’d fall flat on my face.
I loved these photos ! I would caption the last 2– “You lookin’ at me ? Hey– You
lookin’ at me ?” Thanks for SHOWING me what I’d been hearing for years !
Thanks, Kris. All that scratchin’ is noisy isn’t it. At least it is when they do it in dry stuff. I didn’t hear a sound while this guy scratched in snow.
Such a personable fellow! Great series. I have California Towhees in my yard. Never watched closely enough to see the two-step action. Will have to check that out. Thanks for the lesson!
Jamila, I suspect California Towhees do it too but they may not. I don’t remember ever seeing Green-tailed Towhees doing it.
Fun and WOW! 😄 I’ve never paid that much attention to that I guess – just know they are “bouncy” and “noisy” and they aren’t here when the snow falls.
Glad you could capture some of it and glad you got a bit of snow.😀 The last photo does have a Wylie Coyote look to it…..
-11 this morning – “progress”😉
“Bouncy”. I like it, Judy. Yet another way to describe their scratching action.
You’ll have to expand into filming 🙂 Thank you for these delightful photos!
Terri, with the recent advancements in photo gear that may be a possibility at some point but right now I have other priorities.