Each October, about 30 dark-eyed juncos gather in a low swath of junipers on our Littleton, Colorado, farm. This annual reunion is generally composed of slate-gray, Oregon and gray-headed races, content to spend the winter in the balmy climate of the Front Range urban corridor.
Arriving from Canada or the nearby Rockies, these small, gregarious songbirds feed primarily on a variety of wildflower and "weed" seeds which are plentiful on our naturalized property. The junipers offer protection from predators, strong winds and heavy snow though these winter visitors, often called "snowbirds," are a hardy bunch.
While there are likely plenty of seeds beneath the shrubs, the juncos emerge in flocks throughout the day to scour the farm for other morsels or simply to bask in the Colorado sunshine. Come April, it is getting too warm in Metro Denver for their taste and, despite our spring snowstorms, they depart for their breeding grounds.
