There's Always One

Day 166: There's always one. Every spring, I'll have at least one Towhee whose tailfeathers have gone missing all at once. Now whether this phenomenon is due to the natural moulting process (and feasibly, it could be) or to somebody waiting just a little too long to fly away from a stealthy predator is not something I can confirm with any conviction. Certainly, Towhees are not precisely the sharpest crayons in the box, but they are also predominantly ground-feeders, which leaves them more vulnerable to a hunter with a taste for fowl. In any event, I always wind up with at least one unfortunate and embarrassed Stubby and, forgive me, they always make me laugh.