Dark-Eyed Junco
Winter ’Snowbird’ Has Arrived!
by Lenora Cuccinello, Notes From a Garden

Winter has finally arrived in New Jersey. Yesterday, on the ground under my bird feeder, a dozen black-eyed Juncos! Technically, winter arrived on December 21 of last year. But, our days have been mild and enjoyable. I did last-minute Christmas shopping without a coat!
 
Juncos are sweet little birds. I enjoy watching them. While the rest of the world is cold and motionless, the Juncos are so animated. I guess this is one of the reasons I enjoy having the first cup of coffee sitting by the sunroom window watching them for a few minutes. Their little puffy body and pinkish beak are a welcoming site for me. I find comfort when they arrive because it signals to me that the world continues to spin.  Nothing is off kelter...spring will come in a few months. As I�’ve gotten older, I find comfort in this routine.
 
What do you know about Juncos? Did you know they are from the sparrow family?  During the warmer seasons they live further north. They migrate south to get away from the "really" cold conditions. Makes me laugh when I think below freezing is a vacation spot!!
 
I did some research on these little guys. Below is information provided by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If you would like to read more you can go to their site by clicking on the blue highlight. *Dark-eyed Junco (picture courtesy of Cornell Labs)

Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They�fre easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, you�fll see Juncos on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them.
 
Keys to Identification
 

Sparrows
Size & Shape
 
The Dark-eyed Junco is a medium-sized sparrow with a rounded head, a short, stout bill and a fairly long, conspicuous tail.
 
Color Pattern
 
Juncos vary across the country, but in general they�fre dark gray or brown birds brightened up by a pink bill and white outer tail feathers that periodically flash open, particularly in flight.
 
Behavior
 
Dark-eyed Juncos are birds of the ground. They hop around the bases of trees and shrubs in forests or venture out onto lawns looking for fallen seeds. You�fll often hear their high chip notes, given almost absent-mindedly while foraging, or intensifying as they take short, low flights through cover.
 
Habitat
 
Dark-eyed Juncos breed in coniferous or mixed-coniferous forests across Canada, the western U.S., and in the Appalachians. During winter you�fll find them in open woodlands, fields, parks, roadsides, and backyards.
 
Nest Description
 
Females build the nests, using her beak to weave together materials and her body to give the nest its shape. Nests can be quite variable depending on where they are built. Sometimes ground nests get just a fine lining of grasses or pine needles. Other nests may be built on a foundation of twigs, leaves and moss, then lined with grasses, ferns, rootlets, hair, and fine pieces of moss. The nests usually take 3-7 days to build, and when finished they are 3-5.5 inches across, with an inner diameter of 2.4-2.8 inches and depth of 1.6-2.8 inches. It�’s rare for a Junco to reuse a nest.
 
Food
 
Dark-eyed Juncos are primarily seed-eaters, with seeds of chickweed, buckwheat, lamb�fs quarters, sorrel, and the like making up about 75% of their year-round diet. At feeders they seem to prefer millet over sunflower seeds. During the breeding season, Dark-eyed Juncos also eat insects including beetles, moths, butterflies, caterpillars, ants, wasps, and flies.
 
(OK....not so crazy about them eating the butterflies....) Even if you don�ft have a bird feeder, you can still provide food for the Juncos. Since they like to eat from the ground, buy a bag of millet and sprinkle it on your lawn. Millet is easily found at the grocery store, Lowes etc. It is the tiny round yellow seed and best of all generally inexpensive. I still see cardinals at my feeder and I make sure there is sunflower seed for them. But, I have noticed that the Juncos love the millet and will go to that seed first.
 
One last comment. Don�ft forget that birds need water, even in winter. As I watched them eat yesterday, I also had to rescue a few. I have a small pond in my yard, which we cover with netting during the winter. The netting helps to keep leaves from falling into the pond. The Juncos managed to get under the net somehow (I still haven�ft figured where they entered) and then were unable to get out. After making an escape route for them, I made sure my bird bath was full!! Stay warm friends!!

Lenora xo

Hello Fellow Gardeners! My hope for this blog is that you will find some useful information, (gardening or otherwise), listen to my rants (and hopefully enjoy them), share some of your ideas, and be a voice for people who love nature. I�’m happy that you took a minute from your day to stop by. May this be the beginning of a long friendship.
 
My name is Lenora Cuccinello. I was born an only child to first generation Italian immigrants during a time between the great depression of the 1930’s and the great depression of 2010.
 
As an adult I began planting flowers and haven�’t stopped. I enjoy a much more relaxed �’county cottage�’ type garden. None of my gardens are formal. Recently, I have introduced many more native plants into the garden.

Another area that has peaked my interest the past few years is planting more plants that are host to various butterflies that visit the Northeast where I live. I am hoping that in my research and experience I will be able to share this with you, so you can decide if this is something you may like to do.
 
I am married to a Veterinarian. We have one son and one daughter. Don�’t hold it against me, but, they are the best kids to have ever lived�...just sayin�’. We currently have 3 dogs (thanks to my daughter). I will be surprised if she doesn�’t walk in her father�’s footsteps.  She would be happy if we lived at the zoo so she could surround herself with more and more animals. My college aged son also lives here�...I see him for meals and laundry.

Please feel free to email with any questions, ideas or suggestions. Visit my website my http://notesfromagarden.com/ or email me at lenora@notesfromagarden.com