This One Is Getting Brave!

  Normally, the Eastern Towhees are shy birds that would rather stay in the underbrush unseen than be sociable.  You may hear them  as they scavenge in the leaves for food but seeing them is a different story.  When scratching, they sound like a herd of elephants rummaging around in a haystack.  They really do not care who hears them.  You may also see the male calling high up in a tree top but that is usually when his ladylove is on the nest.  He keeps a careful watch for predators as she is nesting on the ground where critters roam.  Other than that,  their whole lives are spent in the thick underbrush.   If the hillside is unusually quiet and the other birds have left the feeders, the towhees will occasionally sneak out to pick up a few discarded seeds.  More oft than not, the male will be seen first.  After it appears that no one is going to bother him, the female will venture out of the brush and join him for a few seeds.  

  This morning, I headed out to see how many boards were ripped from the pier during the storms overnight.  The errant boards were retrieved and placed within easy reach, then I headed back up the hillside.  A slight movement caught my eye and was enough to make me pause for a few moments.  Yep, the little towhee was busying himself near the house!  I watched for a bit then continued back to the doorway.  To my surprise, the towhee did not take flight.  He stayed near the jasmine fence even though that was in my direct path.  

  After my encounter with the male towhee, I started pondering if the female was nesting nearby.  Since I leave the landscape a bit "wild and woolly". anything is possible.  For the past few years, she has nested in the palmetto clumps near the pier but a rather large snake has been hanging around there.  The Black Racer would make short work of the eggs, chicks or even the mom.  Hopefully, she has found a safer place...maybe the jasmine fence row?  How neat would that be??  That would explain why the male is so near to the house and gardens.  They would be welcome to stay!