When I was a little girl I heard this bird call often, and still do – the sound always reminds me of my parents. To me, it is the “drink your tea” bird, because that is how my parents described the call to me, so I could distinguish it from other calls. Perplexing child that I was, I could never remember the name, eastern towhee, to refer to it when talking to others. I was never sure which bird my parents were pointing to either, maybe because of my nearsightedness, but hopefully one day I will hear it, see it, recognize it, AND remember its name!
The video is from one of my favorite websites, Music of Nature.
We have the western version of your lovely little fellow. When we lived on Vancouver Island they were regular, pretty much year-round visitors in our back yard and garden. Their song is a bit different though……I don’t think they’re tea drinkers and they have a slightly deeper tone 🙂
There is also a quiet little Brown (or California) towhee that I often come across on my walks. Their song is a bit different again….in the same range of sound but different notes.
Thank you for sharing one of your favorite websites and your memories!
If I ever find my way to the west coast of this continent I have a feeling I’m going to see so many amazing new kinds of birds, not to mention trees and flowers. Would love to hear your towhees someday. I’ve gotten better about wearing my glasses on walks, so maybe I’ll actually see them someday, too! The abundance and variety of life on this planet is staggering to contemplate at times…
What a lovely bird call. Yes – it’s telling me to drink my tea too.
Happy you could hear the “drink your tea,” Paul! Thanks for stopping by.
The call is familiar, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. It’s a beautiful bird. Thank you for sharing it with us. 🙂
Happy you enjoyed the towhee’s song, Robin!
I will never forget this “drink your tea” bird now either! What a lovely little story, Barbara.
Thank you, Cait! I wish I could ask my parents now if they thought of the “drink your tea” idea themselves or if they heard it from someone else.