Subject: [Tweeters] wandering junco
Date: Jun 27 09:22:57 2008
From: Christine Southwick - clsouth at u.washington.edu



I live at NE 163 and 27th NE in Shoreline. Every year (at least since '03 when we first banded this junco), I have had juncos breeding and bringing their newly fledged young into my yard (still begging and wing quivering). Year before last, I started having two males bringing their young into my yard--and fighting over whose territory, and whose "kids" could be in my yard. This year the one banded in '03 [left leg banded] was back in the yard in January and we recaptured him the third week of February. I too have never found a nest, but know that they have to be very close by. I have a green belt (Cole Nature Park) bordering my yard, and I am at about 460 ft elevation.

I tell you this, because until Thanksgiving of 2001, I lived 28 blocks further
south at NE 135 and 22NE and I only had juncos from about early Oct until
March-April of the following year. [Elevation about 200ft]
When I moved "north" I had to learn the junco's song, because until then I had
only heard their call notes.

Oh, as an aside, Puget Sound Bird Observatory banders have been collecting
winter banding data that shows other sub-species of dark-eyed juncos migrate
here and use this area as their wintering ground; based on a significant
difference in wing length of birds banded in the winter versus the juncos
banded in the summer.


As for cosmic bird sightings, I think any bird sighting (except the dreaded
three--starlings, house sparrows and crows) is exciting--I never get tired of
watching what they do. Who knows what they will do next? Guess that's what
makes me a bird watcher...

Christine Southwick
N Seattle/Shoreline
clsouthwick at pugetsoundbirds.org

On Thu, 26 Jun 2008, Dennis Paulson wrote:

> Hello, tweets.
>
> I don't suppose many people would consider this a cosmic bird sighting, but
> it excited me.
>
> A male Dark-eyed Junco was just at our feeder for a few minutes. Here it is
> June 26, and I have never seen a junco here in the summer in 17 years. My
> latest-ever spring date is May 5, earliest-ever fall date September 3. They
> breed here and there in Seattle, but not in my neighborhood.
>
> Would birds be so interesting if they didn't fly?
>
> -----
> Dennis Paulson
> 1724 NE 98 St.
> Seattle, WA 98115
> 206-528-1382
> dennispaulson at comcast.net
>
>
>
>


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