The Juncos have returned to Wisconsin! You won't find them here in the summer, but they're the first to arrive in the Fall and the last to leave come Spring. They'll visit platform feeders, or feed on the ground below a tubular feeder. In winter, they move about in a mixed flock of Black Capped Chickadees, Red Brested Nutchatches and Downy Woodpeckers. I love the delicate pink shade of their beaks. Roger Tory Peterson notes, "This bird is charaterized by white outer tail feathers that flash conspicuously as it flies away."
The Juncos' arrival reminds me that even when we cannot see it, Mother Nature and Father Time have matters well in hand.
For more info about Juncos, see: http://animal.discovery.com/guides/wild-birds/d-h/dark-eyed-junco.html
4 comments:
I love seeing juncos - I'll have to pay attention here.
Lucky you! Haven't seen them yet.
I saw my first one this morning on the tray feeder. We haven't even had a hard frost yet - my nasturtiums are still alive & blooming! Last year we had a foot of snow by mid October! Happy to see Mr/Mrs Junco - but can wait for the cold weather!
It's a year later and one state away, but I just had a similar experience here in Dearborn, MI. Saw one Dark-eyed Junco under my feeders yesterday at dusk and, in daylight today, spotted two ground-feeding. During the past two weeks, there's been a constant stream of Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Downy Woodpeckers, similar to your experience last year. A terrific group of avians!
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