Towhee

We went out to see if the lemon balm was still surviving (yes) and were surprised by a pair of birds, quite brave, scratching about on the ground. They weren't thrashers, which I'm used to seeing scratching on the ground, so I got out a bird book when we came in. Opal looked at it, awed "We OWN that book?" she said, clutching it to her chest. "We have this book at school! I've always wanted a copy! It has a California Quail in it! I want to make a list!" The book in question is Birds of San Francisco and the Bay Area, and it identified our birds as California Towhees. as rare as one would expect for our backyard (i.e., common as dirt). Opal is sleeping with the book.