dark-eyed junco

I think that these guys are here for the winter now. The junco's that we have here in eastern USA are the Slate-colored form but are still Dark-eyed Juncos. Many folks list them as Slate-colored Juncos and that is correct but the Slate-colored is just one of several forms of the Dark-eyed Junco...

This bird is one that has given systematist much grief over the nomenclature. As a supergroup (my designation, not neccessarily correct) it may be designated "Junco hyemalis". But, there are at least 5 distinct (but still contested) sub species, or variants, again no consensus. In the...

All this rain had to be good for something. It created a spa for the Junco's. Went to throw out my trash from lunch and saw some Junco's bathing at the newly created spa. Set the trash down, went to the truck and got the camera and eased back up on them. This one was still bathing and did so for...

A Junco image from the archives. We have a very few Juncos around now but I still haven't gotten any new images of them this fall so here is one from the archives. I can hear them but they still aren't coming in to the feeders.

This has been fun pulling out some I had over looked or just too lazy to process.

Taken in the backyard.

I was at a closed for the season campground and found a shelter well stocked with sunflower seeds so I set up. Usual birds but a first recording of I think an Oregon.

This Junco has some sort of growth on the side of his face. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? He seems to act okay. He (she?) has been visiting daily for a while now. He stands out because most of my Junco's are black and some are gray. This one is almost a chocolate-brown gray mix.

Just another junco...

This is a bird that poses some special problems because of its dark eye, embeded in a dark head. The problem is that it gets lost. This is where fill flash will help, for the following: 1) flash will add a "catch light" to the eye: so, even if the eye is not exposed completely at least...

Taken around the feeder in Nature Park

Going through inventory...

Got lucky with it coming out of the shadows and into the rays of the setting sun.

While waiting for the progress of the Redheaded Woodpecker and the feather transition I took this little Junco. That darn woodpecker must sit in the tree, pick out an acorn.....then its down...grab....and gone. You gotta be lightning fast to get a shot. I gonna out last him though and get that...

But I'll take it as I don't often get to see these guys anywhere but on the ground.

Another resurected from the Dec. inventory cull...

Going through inventory again: stumbled on this...

Another of the "Through the kitchen window series"

Another common one...

There is a great deal of variance in this species and I get a good number of them as they migrate into the area from Canada, the Rockies and from higher elevations localy. This one, I think, is the Oregon version; female. I like the females just a little more than the female for the slate gray...

Well the temps are dropping (they've gone down five degrees since I got up this morning) and we are supposed to go below zero F. for the next several nights. I thought this little Junco all fluffed to stay warm an appropriate image for the day here. Such amazing creatures to survive the harsh...

Backyard birding again today while watch football. I'm not a big football watcher except when it gets to playoffs then I sort of get adicted. But can check feeders for possible photos while watching the game.