Boy, this just goes to show how different brains interpret
what's heard differently. I never occured to me to associate
Eastern or Spotted Towhee as "tow-heeeee".

Most book describe Eastern Towhee as, "Drink your teeeeeeeee"
presumably the "your teeeeeee" is "tow-heeeeeee"

One of the justifications for splitting the towhees was the
difference in song. Towhees on the lower Columbia say,
"zreeeeeeeee" usually without introduction. So, the "heee"
without the "tow".

As to movements, both banding stations on the lower Columbia
show towhee movement bubbles last week in September. On a day
when they're moving, especially early in the day, there can
be dozens gronk?ing at each other. At the Ft Stevens station
they pretty much have to be coming from across the river which
I interpret as being more complicated than a downslope movement.

---- original ----
Subject: towhee info
From: birdbooker AT zipcon.net
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 16:14:02 -800

HI:
I was wondering if anyone can answer the following towhee questions:

1)Woudl you describe the spotted towhee song as: to-heeeee or is that
the
Eastern Towhee?

2) Are our towhees migratory with our breeding birds being replaced by
northern
birds during winter?
---- end ----

--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
celata at pacifier.com

If you want to end war and stuff, you've got to sing loud
- Arlo Guthrie