California Towhee fledgling visiting

Fledglings are always so cute to observe.

You can tell they are not quite adults, not only from the partially still fluffy plumage, but also from their behavior.

Where adults tend to just visit to forage, and are constantly on the alert, the fledglings will sit a long time in one spot, gazing at their surroundings, sometimes preening their feathers.

Here is a California Towhee fledgling that sat on the rim of a large planter containing a California ceanothus "Blue Skylark shrub. It occasionally preened its feathers.

Then an adult California Towhee flew to the birdbath, which is a few feet away from the ceanothus planter.

You can see how smooth its feathers are.

It looked like a very wise elder.