As a long-time lurker, I found myself reluctant to show up at the Yak-athon
and picnic amidst all the recognizable nametags (though little did I know
that imposters had infiltrated ... I could have pretended to be someone else
and ruined their reputation as a knowledgeable birder). Anyway, the winter
event-under-consideration sounds so great that I decided to start posting in
anticipation of participating.

Here's my question. I have been watching a group of birds (maybe a dozen,
though I rarely see more than 2 or 3 at a time) in my backyard for the last
month or so. They are the same size as rufous-sided towhees, but have dark
eyes and are mostly brown in color-- some mottling on the breast and some
seem to have a slightly lighter patch in the center of the breast. Their
tails are black with the same white markings as rufous-sided, and the heads
are darker too (though not as black as those of the rufous-sided). Their
behavior is also like the RS (sorry, don't know the official code!), mostly
scratching around on the ground but occasionally getting up on the feeder to
eat.

When I looked up other types of Towhees in my (limited) id guides, it seemed
as if neither Brown or Aberts Towhees should be in this area. They also
don't look very much like the pictures in the guides. So what's the deal?
Are they female rufous-sided? I suspected this after seeing one being fed by
a rufous-sided male, but they don't fit the description of females in my
book either. Also, I've had towhees in my yard all winter and spring, but
the brown ones just appeared in July. If they are female RSs, where were
they before?

Thanks for your patience with my beginner descriptions-- if I need to be
looking for other things, let me know. (Oh, by the way, I have listened for
the call-- they don't seem as vocal as the RS, but they seem to make the
same "strangled cat" sound).
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Louise Parker
WSU Cooperative Extension Phone 206/840-4584
7612 Pioneer Way East FAX 206/840-4669
Puyallup, WA 98371

NOTE NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS: parker at wsu.edu

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