Surprise!

Birder2011

I was trying to get a decent shot of some sparrows, when this Spotted Towhee jumped up on a tree directly in front of me. Thinking he was an Eastern Towhee, common in my area, I only took some snapshots because he was close and posed me. Only after looking at the photos, did I realize I had captured a rare bird for the Midwest.
Eastern and Spottsd Towhees look very similar. The Spotted has white spots on its wings and back. A lesson learned to check all birds carefully.