MetroParks Nature Notes

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The Miami Valley has a diverse collection of wildlife. Five Rivers MetroParks naturalists and conservation staff members give you a glimpse into the lives of these creatures. Use these tips and tricks to discover wildlife at a MetroPark or right in your own backyard.

March 2010

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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2010 > March > 01 > Entry

Reflections of an Amateur Birder- Return of the Towhee

By Doug Horvath | Monday, March 1, 2010, 01:48 PM

Written By Lisa McGurk

I was very happy this week to see a visitor to the Window on Wildlife at Germantown MetroPark Nature Center that I hadn’t seen since the fall, an Eastern Towhee. According to our bird chart, we should have been able to see Towhees through the winter, but I hadn’t seen one since September. Towhees are oversized sparrows that rummage in the undergrowth. According to allaboutbirds.org, these black and reddish brown birds are common victims of the Brown- headed Cowbird. The Cowbird lays its eggs in the Towhee nests. The Towhee ends up raising the Cowbird young to the neglect of her own (the Cowbird will often remove a Towhee egg from the nest which also decreases Towhee numbers).

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