Jim writes:

>>For the past two springs I have watched juncos defend territories and have
>>not seen any sign of nesting. Maybe I am incorrectly identifying the
>>behavior. But I recognize the song and I watch them chase each other and
>>other species, around the yard. Do juncos aquire mates on their wintering
>>territories and then go elsewhere and breed?

Pair bonding prior to arrival on the breeding grounds is the norm in
waterfowl. In these situtations the famale usually leads the male back to
breeding site. I haven't herd any evidence of this in juncos or their
allies.

You have raised a good point here about your juncos disappearing. The
lowland breeding distribution of Juncos appears to be complex, but is often
overlooked by birders. Juncos are frequenly absent from many suitable
sites at lower elevations, while other times they can be found nesting a
stones throw from marine waters. I wonder what general conclusions can be
drawn about the birds lowland breeding habitat preferences......

Any insights from the BBA project?

Jim, what specifically do you mean by defending territories?
In the Olympics, juncos often collect hair for nesting for material from
elk wallows.

Fred