1 reply to this topic

[Nells250]

Most of the year, I don't see dark eyed juncos near my house in the Boston area.  This may sound odd, but as soon as it starts snowing, they show up!  We have had almost no snow this year, but around noon today it started.  And what did I just spot outside by the seed dish?  Yup... about 4 juncos AND a small group of different sparrows than usual. 

Obviously these birds were in the area this morning, but where do they hang out so they don't get seen, and why do they only come out when the weather is bad???

JD

[dklucius]

i used to hike a lot up in the high mountains north of here and would see the juncos way up close to timberline in the meadows and even the tundra. when the snows get deep up high they move down to the foothills and valleys for the worst of winter. there is a bunch of oak brush and native shrubs across the fence from me and an old pasture with lots of grass and weeds, the juncos roost in the heavy brush or shrubs and come out and scratch under the trees and brush and eat lots of weed and grass seeds and when the snows come in they head to my feeders and clean up under them but also have adapted to eating from any of the feeders they can perch on. but by early spring they start moving back up hill towards the high mountains.