When walking through the woods in central North Carolina the air is filled with sounds of bird song, most especially so via the Eastern Towhee.
These handsome birds are quite vocal and are relatively easy to find by their familiar “drink your tea” calls emanating from the brush.
Occasionally they’ll pop out from the tangled undergrowth to provide you with a good look and may even follow you on the trail.
I spotted this one while birding yesterday at the Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington NC.
Eastern Towhees come in two different varieties, the white-eyed and the red-eyed seen here.
Years ago, they were known as the Rufus-sided Towhee but today both white & red eyed birds are lumped together under the Eastern moniker.
Eastern Towhees are best found foraging for a meal in dense brushy areas along the edges of fields, in suburban backyard hedges and in deciduous forests.
They are also one of the few species of birds which nest from the Appalachian mountains all the way to the coast.
Happily Towhees are a year round resident of NC so keep an eye (and ear!) out for them every time you step outside.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5 & my beloved beast of a DSLR the #5Ds
