Friends, this spotted towhee was caught out in the rain hence his ruffled feathers.  In the North Dakota Badlands, rain is not expected in the month of August, but it rained the whole week we were there.  The rain was great for the plants and animals but not so good for photographers who wished to do some hiking.  I am not afraid of a few drops on my head, but the slick gumbo under my feet is heavy to haul around, kind of like mud snowshoes.  And did I mention that it is slippery, my camera has chunks of muck on it from the last spill I took trying to chase down a pincushion cactus.  So this was taken from the safety of a pickup blind, and i learned that these birds like to perch on dead sagebrush rather than high in a tree.  til Tomorrow MJ