Fluffed up adult male Green-tailed Towhee singing
I’ve been expecting to see a Green-tailed Towhee singing on or very near this lichen-encrusted fence post since I first heard one of their songs this year and yesterday one appeared.
I heard the male Green-tailed Towhee before I could see him perched on the weathered post with lichens on the top so a view of him was no surprise for me. It really was quite expected.
For the last four breeding seasons I have reliably seen Green-tailed Towhees at this location and part of the reason is that it is wonderful habitat for this species. There is sagebrush, shrubs, plenty of places for a towhee to dive into when feeling threatened and nice areas to nest.
For this male Green-tailed Towhee there are also ample natural and man made perches to sing from the tops of to attract the females of his species. He did just that yesterday for the 51 seconds that I had him in my viewfinder.
Listen to the song of a Green-tailed Towhee here.
Note, if you look at the slider on my home page there is a close up view of a male Green-tailed Towhee there.
You can click the first image in this gallery to start a slide show and to see the images larger.
In the 51 seconds that I had this dapper-looking adult male Green-tailed Towhees in my viewfinder he sang, preened a bit, fluffed up his feathers, turned his head and sang some more. I took 177 photos of the towhee before he took off and flew across the road.
It was terrific to find the male Green-tailed Towhee yesterday in lovely light on a clear morning.
Life is good. Stay safe.
Mia
My techs for these images: Nikon D500, f7.1, shutter speeds ranged between 1/800 and 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light.
Click here to see more of my Green-tailed Towhee photos plus facts and information about this species.
Huge thanks.
I do love your beautiful songster.
What a lovely series! 🙂
So many great photos, don’t you love cooperative models!
I have a friend who points out to me how many photos I take (in a complaining tone.) I feel good now, knowing you took 177 of one bird. I want to get good expressions, the right light, gestures, etc. This series is lovely , with gestures, lighting and all the good stuff. Time well spent.
Cute
What a handsome fella!
None of the images are loading for me. I’ve refreshed twice and still the broken image placeholder appears. Darn it. I’ve only seen a few of these birds, as they don’t live anywhere close to me.
Catherine, I just cleared the cache, could you try again and let me know if the images show up for you now?
Checked back today, Sunday, and the birds are back. I love the improbable green on these guys.
What a dapper little fellow he is with his rusty cap.