Spotted Towhee

Lat Friday (11/05/2010), I was transcribing and half-watching bird activity at the feeders when I saw a towhee. Which was a bit unusual and a new yard bird for me on Lakeshore, so I got the binocs on it and saw what looked like white paint drips on the wings and upper back and realized it was not an Eastern Towhee and was very possibly a Spotted Towhee which, as I subsequently discovered, should not be east of the Mississippi. I took about 40 photos and finally went outside (sunny and windy) and stalked the towhee round and round the brush pile but did not get better photos as it would hop out of sight as I followed. I then tried to sneak up on it (through dry crackling leaves) from the front of the house and the side of the garage, etc. This was not going to work. I was headed north for the weekend, so I gave up trying to get better photos and drove up to Townsend.

When I came back on Sunday, I was walking to the house from the car and saw the towhee still there, scratching away in the dry oak leaves.

I checked all my references and decided I needed to submit this very uncommon bird, so I found the Michigan Records Committee web site, used the form from that site, attached 3 photos and sent it off. I also submitted it in a comment to eBird, as there was no option for Spotted Towhee on the Michigan check lists.

This is a handsome bird with black head, long tail, rufous sides, white belly and, on the Spotted, quite a bit of white dappling on the back and wings. It is approximately robin-sized. The bird in my yard was a male.

It stayed around and I heard nothing from my submissions, so I went to the monthly meeting of the Holland Audubon group on Tuesday evening and announced my "sighting" again, which immediately got the attention of Mike Overway..."We need to talk..."

I sent Mike some photos on Tuesday night after the meeting and by Wednesday, a dozen local birders stopped by for a look and verified the bird even though the photos also had pretty much documented the sighting.

The Spotted Towhee (which has been split from the Eastern Towhee) is VERY uncommon in Michigan with less than 10 documented sightings so far. It was verified this was not a hybrid. Yes!!!