Hello Tweeters,

Today I heard Juncos and Purple Finches singing in or near my yard. The
some male juncos were even acting defensive to others. I saw two males
at battle with each other; one in a wire trap on the ground and the
other on the outside of the trap. They were very upset at the others
presence and completely oblivious to mine, as I was standing less that 6
feet away from them both. Seeing this, I decided that it was time to
start checking for cloacal protuberance (swollen gonads) in the males
(at least for the juncos). No detectable swelling noted today.

At McChord AFB I have found junco nest with nestlings as early as April
16. This means that territory establishment, pair bonding, nest building
and such must have taken place towards the end of March!

Russell

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Russell Rogers and Mary Moore
6637 Glenwood Drive SW
Olympia WA 98512
(360) 709-9870
mailto:rrogers at halcyon.com
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