Spotted towhee

On our way eastwards in northern Arizona we called in at the Navajo National Monument where a nice easy walk through juniper and pine forest takes you to a viewpoint where you can see the cliff dwellings at Betatakin inhabited by the ancient Pueblo indians. The Navajo Nation occupies a large portion of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico and includes many ancient Puebloan sites such as this. The ancient Puebloans developed house-building techniques from the 6th to the 13th century which ultimately enabled them to build homes several storeys high. No-one is sure why they left these cliff dwellings; one theory is that they were driven back to a more nomadic lifestyle by drought.

Along the way this spotted towhee was obliging.