What's this, the 4th SPOTTED TOWHEE spotted in Arkansas this season!? If Ron Goddard were still with us, I'm sure he'd spot one in his former neck of the woods too, for #5 (altho his would likely be #1). Isn't it wonderful how particular birds can remind us of special people who have touched our lives? For us, it's the Spotted Towhee and Ron Goddard, a man we will always hold in high regard.In Conway, one of the CBC Teams, led by Kevin Krajcir, found a female Spotted Towhee during the count on Saturday. We had our Linz family Christmas get together at our house on Sunday (21 people including 7 kiddos), so couldn't go until Monday to look for it. đWe initially hoped we could find it from the parking lot but eventually walked along the paved section in front of the Tull office building toward some hay bales surrounded by weeds and saplings. (I'll note that the nearby pond is clearly marked as private/no trespassing.) It wasn't long before we spotted a towhee with large white spots across the upper wings. Bingo! "Spots" was found.This was a special bird for Michael because it was Faulkner County bird #292 for him. But even more special is the fact that this is only the second official record of a Spotted Towhee for Faulkner County, the first being reported by Bill Shepherd when he was a young man in 1956. Wow! Another reminder of a special person who continues to inspire birders, particularly when we come across his previous records.Here's our report with the best location point marked on the map to look for this "Spots."https://ebird.org/checklist/S207213833 However. Keep in mind that Kevin's team actually first spotted it in the weeds in the back corner behind the office building.Patty McLean and Michael Linz The RoadrunnersÂ
