Dark-eyed Juncos And Seasonal Changes

Adult Dark-eyed Junco foraging on the ground – Nikon D500, f9, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Dark-eyed Juncos are year round residents in northern Utah. During the breeding season juncos are found at higher elevations in Utah’s mountain ranges where they breed and raise their young. One of the seasonal changes I look for in autumn is when I see that the Dark-eyed Juncos have arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.

When I lived in coastal Virginia these “snow birds” would show up at my feeders a few days before the first winter snow but here in northern Utah they show up weeks before the first snowfall in the valley.

I photographed this Dark-eyed Junco last week at Farmington Bay WMA and I was delighted that it hung around long enough for me to take a few photos of it while it foraged on the ground.

This morning the temp was 60°F outside when I first woke up and as I write this post the temp has dropped to 51°F. That might not seem like a drastic drop but the weather front that arrived as I slept is one of the first cold fronts of this fall. After a terribly long, hot, extremely smoky summer this change is welcomed. I have my living room window open and the cool air feels marvelous. The rain that has fallen overnight is much needed and may have helped to remove the smoke we have lived with for months from the air.

Given the cooler temps and the gently falling rain outside my window this seemed to be a perfect morning for me to share this Dark-eyed Junco photo because here in Utah I now associate juncos with the change from summer to fall. It actually feels like fall this morning.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to view more of my Dark-eyed Junco photos plus facts and information about this species.