Dark-Eyed JuncoNovember 2004

 



The dark-eyed, slate-gray, or northern junco (ornithologists just cannot make up their minds what to call these birds) is a remarkably striking bird, about the size of a sparrow (or a type of sparrow).
 
A dark dark-eyed junco
 
  The junco's combination of dark gray on top and white below is unmistakable (or as unmistakable as anything can be regarding bird identification). Especially in their flight, one sees a whirl of gray and white: very beautiful!

Juncos prefer feeding from the ground - at least around our bird feeders. And about the time I thought all my junco photos would be from the top down, I managed to get a few shots (from a long ways away) of a junco in a bush:
 
Junco in a gameland
 
On Long Island I saw juncos only during the coldest times of winter. Since I moved to State College, Pennsylvania, juncos were among the first birds at the feeding area (since they prefer to let other birds toss seed onto the ground).
 

Dark-eyed junco eating a seed
 
  Photo note: I used a Pentax *istD, with the SMC-A* 300mm lens with a Pentax 1.4x adapter for the top and bottom photos and the SMC 400-600mm reflex for the middle one.



My Pennsylvania bird list

Look Out!   |   Contact