Dark Eyed Junco

One of my favorite birds to watch during the long winter months here in Vernon is a peppy medium sized sparrow, the Dark Eyed Junco. There are many variations of this bird with the two main being the slate colored which I often see below my suet and millet feeders, and the brown hooded which is also called the Oregon Brown Hooded due to its range being Western North America.

I more often than not see juncos hopping and pecking around in groups on the ground looking for seeds during non breeding seasons. When nesting time arises they seem to vanish from my yard.  I assume that they move into forested areas like the Town Forest with its abundance of Eastern Hemlock or perhaps Satan's Kingdom which is spruce and pine mixed hardwood forest.

So frequently I see Juncos in the winter, that I used to tell my young children that they were Snow Buntings. My daughter Helen who is now a bird biologist quickly corrected me when she began college at UMaine. Trust me when I say that it has been a steep learning curve ever since she realized that mom is often making stuff up.

One bird I still refuse to concede on its name however, is the Clown Sparrow. I won't tell you the funny little birds actual name though; because sometimes a mom should retain the right to preserve those sorts of memories; even when their children know better. -Norma Manning

This Slate Dark Eyed Junco seems out of place perched in my Lilac bush