towhees

["Bruce W. Krucke" <bkrucke@awod.com>]

I had a fun sighting at my feeders today.  An entire rufous sided towhee
family came to call.  Feeding on white proso millet on the ground were adult
male and female, two juvenile females, and one juvenile male.  They were all
feeding alone, no begging.  I thought I saw the adult male chase the young
male away, but thought maybe it just seemed that way.  But when they came
back, the adult male jumped the young male and they had a wrestling match on
the ground for several seconds and then both flew away.  I guess junior got
a little too big for his britches and has been shown a little tough love.
This seems a little early to me for male rivalry--shouldn't that be next
spring?  I really enjoyed seeing the towhees because, although I often hear
them, I don't often see them and to have the whole family was a treat.
Bruce Krucke
Yonges Island, SC