On this cloudy and chilly afternoon, the first dark-eyed juncos of the season appeared on our Littleton, Colorado, farm. They were members of the Oregon subspecies and had arrived just in time.
Commonly known as snowbirds, juncos are small, hardy songbirds that summer up in Canada or in the mountain ranges of North America. Fond of cool weather, they winter primarily across the northern half of the U.S. and often arrive with the first snows of autumn. The latter fact is especially true here in Metro Denver and, within the next few weeks, our farm will host dozens of these winter residents. Gray-headed juncos descend from the Front Range and the slate-colored and Oregon subspecies arrive from more northern latitudes; on occasion, white-winged juncos also visit from the Black Hills region of western South Dakota.
All four subspecies are classified as dark-eyed juncos and are often observed in suburbs and along country roads, their white outer tail feathers obvious as they scatter toward cover. I am pleased to have them back on our farm and I appreciate the weather warning that they bring....snow flurries are expected tonight or tomorrow.
Commonly known as snowbirds, juncos are small, hardy songbirds that summer up in Canada or in the mountain ranges of North America. Fond of cool weather, they winter primarily across the northern half of the U.S. and often arrive with the first snows of autumn. The latter fact is especially true here in Metro Denver and, within the next few weeks, our farm will host dozens of these winter residents. Gray-headed juncos descend from the Front Range and the slate-colored and Oregon subspecies arrive from more northern latitudes; on occasion, white-winged juncos also visit from the Black Hills region of western South Dakota.
All four subspecies are classified as dark-eyed juncos and are often observed in suburbs and along country roads, their white outer tail feathers obvious as they scatter toward cover. I am pleased to have them back on our farm and I appreciate the weather warning that they bring....snow flurries are expected tonight or tomorrow.
