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Friday, January 29, 2010

Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

I mentioned a few days ago that there are many kinds of sparrow and here is another. This is the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus), whom I had the pleasure of meeting this afternoon on the Westsong Walkway. A couple of passersby and I marvelled at what an unusual bird it was. But apparently it's not unusual at all. They're said to be quite common here in Victoria and again I was reminded that I tend to go through the days not really aware of what is all around me. How could I have spent over 15 years of my life here in Victoria without ever noticing this bird?

5 comments:

Mike Laplante said...

They have a very distinctive cry -- they aren't songbirds so it's more of a croak-y thing. They are also less skittish than most birds.

My mother from Ontario found them fascinating when she visited.

tennisjazz said...

Superb photo, Ben.

Dean Lewis said...

Wow !
Now really, that has to be stuffed and you bought it somewhere :) !
Great close-up.
Cool red eyes on that guy.

Canarybird said...

Oh that is a marvelous photo Benjamin!
I can't say that I remember having seen that bird in Victoria either and I even lived there for a while.
On my latest visits I've seen stellar jays and bald eagles near my daughter's home in Sidney.

Dana said...

I've never seen that bird before, either-- but I'm no bird expert!

I'm really enjoying these bird photos, Benjamin- bravo!