While standing along the I & M trail this Sunday afternoon, I looked intently through my binoculars at the fallen leaves and snow, hoping to find some new sparrows to add to our Christmas Bird Count list. It was early afternoon and our group was still missing a few key species, but we had high hopes for this area which was a particularly lucky spot for us last year. After walking about 1/2 mile and seeing no song birds, suddenly there were several Dark Eyed Juncos, Black Capped Chickadees, and American Goldfinch gathered in front of us foraging along the frozen canal’s edge. We searched carefully for a few minutes, looking to see if we could pick out a White-crowned or Swamp Sparrow in the group. Suddenly, a Towhee suddenly popped up from the leaf litter to a low branch. Audrey and I called out “Towhee!” and my first thought was “Eastern Towhee, what a great bird to add to our sparrow list!” Then Audrey said “I think that was a Spotted!” Spotted Towhee had been nowhere on my radar. This species is normally found west of the Mississippi River (I saw some in Utah earlier this year), and I hadn’t realized they were a potential winter vagrant. I dropped my binoculars and excitedly fumbled with big mittens and cold hands for my camera while Audrey continued to watch the bird and identify field marks through her binoculars. Of course, just before I got the Towhee in focus she dropped off the branch and disappeared.