Eastern Towhee is a bird that I see year round at Blue Jay
Barrens. A few of the birds overwinter
here and are occasional guests at the birdfeeder. Their numbers climb
significantly in the early spring with birds that spent the winter at a more
southern location. Over the years, I’ve seen many young birds in the care of
their parents, but have never found an active nest. Until now.
This is the first towhee nest that I have ever found.
I was walking across this field when I flushed a towhee from
the grass while stepping down the cut bank shown in the center of the
photograph.
Birds don’t usually flush from under my feet unless they’ve
been disturbed from a nest. I stared at the bank and the surrounding area but
could see no evidence of a nest.
It wasn’t until I got within a couple feet of the bank that
I found the nest tucked beneath an overhanging cascade of dead grass.
The female towhee was frantically calling from a nearby
cedar, so I only lingered long enough to capture a few images of the nest. I’ve
read that Eastern Towhee nests are highly parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds.
I hope this nest avoids that fate.
