Spotted Towhee At Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Coming from the subzero temperatures at home in Ontario to the warmer climes of coastal British Columbia, Bob and I expected to see an assortment of duck species when birdwatching at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, but the unexpected sighting of numerous Spotted Towhees caught us totally off guard.  Eastern Towhees are seen in Ontario during spring, summer and fall.  As we soon learned, Spotted Towhees winter on Vancouver Island and temperate areas along B.C.’s western coast.

At the bird sanctuary, Bob and I left behind the ponds that were well-populated with ducks and proceeded to the westernmost trail that borders West Field.

The trail led us north to an Observation Tower, which we promptly scaled in order to get a view of the Lesser Snow Geese congregated on the distant shore.  All the while, we bore the full brunt of the strong west wind sweeping in across the flat coastal plain from the Pacific Ocean.

From the tower, we had a choice of using the trail on the North Dyke, but chose, instead, to navigate our way along the northernmost slough by entering into a wooded area that borders the East Dyke.  The trees made for a good windbreak but still afforded a reasonable view of the water channels.

At regular intervals, a cacophonous raucous filled the air when the Snow Geese would suddenly become airborne.

I can only imagine how lovely this trail would be in the summertime when the close-knit canopy of branches is densely covered in vibrant green leaves.   On the day we visited, quite a large assortment of songbirds moved about the tangle of bushes there in the thickets adjacent to the marsh.  Young visitors, encouraged by the brave chickadees, were tempted to feed the birds from their outstretched palms.

All along that wooded stretch of the trail, Spotted Towhees ventured in and out of the underbrush.

The Spotted Towhees in the west are very similar to the Eastern Towhees seen in Eastern Canada and United States, such as this one that we sighted in Ontario.  You have to look closely to differentiate the two species.

The main difference is that Spotted Towhees have brilliant white spots and stripes on their wings.  Only recently has a distinction been made between the two species.  Before now, Eastern and Spotted Towhees were classified together as Rufous-sided Towhees.

The Eastern Towhees have dark heads and backs, but both species display the familiar rufous flanks, white belly, and red eyes.

The habitat at Reifel Bird Sanctuary was exactly what all towhees look for,  a dense, bushy shrubbery.

Their habit is to noisily scratch and hop amongst leaf litter on the ground when foraging for food, but the male above was a little put off by the foot traffic passing by so retreated to this low branch bathed in sunshine.

Finally, once some boisterous visitors had receded into the distance, the towhee resumed foraging for bits of food at the edge of the woods.  Towhees are a type of large sparrow, and with their thick, triangular bill, they are adept at cracking seeds.  Wild berries and even insects, snails and small amphibians are consumed to round out their diet.

Spotted Towhees employ a two-footed backwards hop when removing leaves from the soil’s surface to reveal seeds and small invertebrates.  Their non-stop hopping and shuffling meant that the birds did not stay in any one place for more than a few seconds at a time.  It made for very challenging photography.

Because of the Spotted Towhees’ proclivity for sun-baked thickets, scientists believe that the white spots on the Spotted Towhees’ backs are an evolutionary change that provides better camouflage in sun-dappled undergrowth.  Combine that with their rufous-coloured flanks that blend in nicely with dry, fallen leaves, and these birds are masters at remaining undetected.  We were very lucky that the surroundings were conducive to more adventurous behaviour.  We had a good look at four or five males that day.

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Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean