Catching The Red-Eye

Day 52: Spotted Towhee (aka Rufous-Sided Towhee, Pipilo maculatus) is a twitchy little fellow. He flicks his tail almost constantly, darting glances from side to side as if every shrub harboured a Red-Tailed Hawk on the prowl for dinner. On the ground, Towhee is even more jumpy...literally. To raise seed from the soil or in the grass, he digs in his toenails and gives a quick backward hop. He performs the same maneuver in the feeder tray, scattering seed far and wide to be picked up by others of his kind. Photographically, he's a difficult subject. Besides his nervous behaviours, he likes to stay concealed. He gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "catching the red-eye."