I could hear the unmistakable song of “drink your tea” from a distance at one of my favorite local birding locations.
The sound was coming from a lower branch of a tree bordering the trail.
As I approached the area of the bird’s song, I peered up into the tree leaves and shadows, searching each branch until I finally found the black-headed brown and white bird.
The Eastern Towhee continued to sing for several minutes before it flew off north of the trail.
While the Eastern Towhee is known for scratching at leaves with both feet as it forages in leaf litter, I’ve only seen it on the ground once. The first time I ever saw the bird years ago.
All the other times I’ve seen or heard the bird, it’s been singing in trees. Or flying from one tree to another.
Gorgeous bird to see, whether it’s in the shadows or singing from the top of a tree snag.
