| Common Name | Eastern Towhee |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pipilo erythrophthalmus |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 01/18/2020 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Julie Bete |
| Mailing Address | 179 Bluebird De Guilford, VT 05301 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 01/18/2020 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 42.740753 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.621808 |
| Place Name | Bluebird Drive |
| Township | Guilford |
| County | Windham |
| Time of Day | 01:30 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | on and off through afternoon, ongoing |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 60 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 15 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Impending and beginning of snow storm |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | eyes, my daughter's camera (Canon Rebel T3i) |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | none |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Kitchen garden directly behind house. Birdfeeder. We live at the end of a road with no other homes behind us, only pasture and woods. With impending snow storm, many other birds in the vicinity of the feeder ... chickadees, juncos, goldfinch, purple finch, cardinals, tufted titmouse, sparrow (not sure what kind), downy and hairy woodpeckers |
| Behaviors Observed | Flying in low, stopping at various points before joining the juncos and sparrows on the ground below the feeder. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I am a novice bird watcher and hadn't ever seen an Eastern Towhee before it appeared at my feeder a few weeks ago. I didn't know what it was, only that it was a new bird to the feeder. I looked it up in my bird book and emailed some more experienced bird watchers (who connected me to this site). It only appears during bad weather when there is a big crowd at the feeder, so I had to wait a few weeks to get another sighting and photos. I saw a shy lone bird who cautiously flew low landing every few feet as it approached the ground below the feeder. When scared, it flew off to a nearby small quince tree or raspberry bushes. Honestly, my biggest observation wasn't about the bird, but about myself. I know little about birds, but I love the birds who visit. I was surprised to observe how my nervous system seemed to detect a new bird to the vicinity before my mind became aware. Doing the dishes at the sink it was as if the energy of a newcomer penetrated my consciousness and triggered me to look up and gaze directly on the new bird. Sounds a bit woo woo, but it was a nice moment of recognition how as humans we are still part of nature ourselves. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | I really had no idea what it was, so I guess you could say I had to eliminate ever other bird in the ID book. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | During the Observation |
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