Eastern Towhee ~ Female

I took a few photos on our walk this morning - nothing of any interest. There were a lot of Chipping Sparrows along the way, which was interesting. And they're always sweet to see. Then nothing of a photographic nature happened for the rest of the day. Until! Just a little while ago I glanced out the door and saw this. Which is notable mostly because the larger bird who is different from the three White-throated Sparrows is a female Eastern Towhee. We do have a male, sometimes two, that I see around on occasion in our yard. They aren't typically feeder birds, but they stop by for a quick and easy snack sometimes. And when it's seriously snowy they tend to be more present. They spend most of their time scuffling around in the dried leaves looking for stuff though, rather than eating the seeds I put out. Anyway, even though I do see the male(s) from time to time, it's a rare thing for me to see the females. So I was delighted to see her, and to get a few shots of her - which was even luckier! If you look here, you'll see what the male looks like as well. If you don't already know...

Also - last night we had our first bear visit of the new Spring season. Oh joy. He turned over our "bird food safe" and according to The Husband, was then lying on his tummy trying to get some seed that had spilled out as it went over, thru the gap where the lid didn't quite seal with the box itself. This box, I might add, is an extremely heavy metal thing that The Husband built for the purpose. Ugly as sin, but it has served its purpose. Would have served it better if I'd actually firmly closed the tubs the seed was in inside the box. But hey ho. The bear was scared off, eventually, by The Husband. The seed wasn't eaten. The dogs were shut inside the house. And I missed the entire affair because I was at the play. This morning we heaved the stupid box right side up again and I took all the seed out. It will now be stowed inside the house.

And the play was hilarious! We - #2 Son and I - very much enjoyed it. Not everyone's taste, certainly, but for those of us with a rather twisted sense of humor and an appreciation for the absurd it was a good time. And excellently well acted and staged. Here's a review of its Los Angeles premiere that gives a good idea of the goings on.