I really wanted my first bird I saw this year and first in the #5MR2019Challenge to be a Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) and I wasn’t disappointed. It took a little work on my part. We had our first major snowfall of the season so after shoveling this morning I cleared a spot on the patio and put down some seed for the little beauties. They like to feed on the ground near cover and I rarely see them up on the feeder.
It snows here and I don’t like having to shovel, but the Juncos help make winters a little more tolerable. They are not year-round residents but only show up in the fall and disappear again in spring. With their classy plumage, pinkish bills and bead-like mouse eyes they hit several notes on the cuteness scale. There are several different subspecies in North America but in Wisconsin we only have the one. Some people here have shared pictures of what they are calling Oregon Juncos but they pale in comparison to the “real” ones I saw in Portland which were unmistakable. On a trip to southeast Arizona I got to see several other subspecies and another species entirely, the Yellow-eyed Junco (Junco phaeonotus.)
Here’s hoping that this is a sign of a good year of bird and wildlife viewing ahead!