I'm a little late with this but better late than never. My benchmark bird
was a Rufous-sided Towhee. When I was 10 (or maybe 9) my mother started
going on spring birdwalks at the local arboretum (Holden Arboretum near
Cleveland, OH). One day when she returned she reported they had seen a
rufous-sided towhee. It was really the name, not the bird that caught my
attention. I desparately wanted to see one of these things so I started
going with her. Actually I was a little disappointed when I did see one
but I was already caught by then. I really wonder whether I would have
been interested if it had been an Eastern Towhee.

Jim Elder (jelder at sea-dmi.com)
SEA, Inc.
7030 220th St. SW
Mountlake Terrace, WA