Whiting WMA 4/10--Eastern Towhee

WMA Clearing

For my 100th Bird A Day entry I was hoping for something rare or dramatic but the 100th day of the year is a Wednesday so I was pretty much restricted to the area and had to "settle" for the FOY Eastern Towhee I heard singing "Drink Your Teeeeee" while I walked in the WMA near Michael's Branch. On days I'm birding big refuges, near water, the difficult part of the contest is deciding which bird to use and which birds to hold in abeyance. On most days though, the challenge is to find a bird I haven't used yet, and at the same time, hold off using the Reliable Birds unless I really need them. My initial goal was to get to 100; I was lucky that were so many rarities around that I was able to track down.

Tomorrow I have to go to the city, so I'll bird Central Park. Reading the reports today, I'll try to track down either the Brown Thrasher or the Rusty Blackbird that were seen. Otherwise, I'll have to use something more common and possibly "reliable." I don't know if this contest is making me a better birder. I'm ambivalent about the contest itself--is this fun or is this work? But now that I've started, I just can't quit.