Common birds of winter--Dark-eyed Juncos

Thank goodness, temps in Canon City have been around 50 for the past 2 days with another 50+ day forecast for tomorrow. Lots of the snow from the last several storms is melting and someday my driveway will be dry. This is a good time to focus on one common bird of winter in SE Colorado, the Dark-eyed Junco.



Dark-eyed Juncos are winter residents throughout much of eastern Colorado, moving down to lower elevation areas in the fall then returning in the spring to Colorado's high country. A member of the sparrow family, they are easily drawn to one's yard by tossing some white-proso millet on the ground near some shrubbery or other protective vegetation (where they can quickly return in case a hawk comes hunting for a small bird snack).

The birds in both of these photos are of the Gray-headed race of Dark-eyed Junco. The bird in the bottom photo was just dropping down to the ground (a close look, by double-clicking on the photo, reveals that both feet are off the ground/snow)

SeEtta