Hello, tweets.

I commented a week or two ago about the lack of (Slate-colored) Dark-
eyed Juncos in my yard for the last few years. Well, today a
beautiful male of the northern subspecies Junco h. hyemalis appeared
in the yard. It looks black and white in the dim light. There have
been more juncos in the yard this last week than I have ever seen
here before (surely 30 birds, often 20+ visible at once), and the
numbers increased before the snow. Our usual number is a maximum of
10-15 birds. I am fairly certain the Slate-colored wasn't here
earlier, as I spent a fair amount of time scrutinizing the flock. So
birds are still moving around in mid December, perhaps as the snow
gets deeper in areas farther north or up in the mountains where they
could previously feed on the ground. Not at all surprising.

A male robin was just settled in the cotoneaster scarfing down
berries, and the resident male Anna's Hummingbird was buzzing around
it, flaring its gorget. Who knows what thoughts (if any) are
generated in that little pea brain. A Townsend's Warbler and a Red-
breasted Nuthatch briefly scuffled at the suet feeder. As the light
fades, the yard is full of birds getting their last meal of the day.
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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