JUNCOS AND WHITE-THROATS

      One late afternoon in winter, when I was about ten years old, I walked through a patch of weeds standing tall in our family garden in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Suddenly, a little flock of small, gray birds flew up at once and dashed away from those weeds where they had been eating seeds.  Each lovely, little bird flashed a white V in its tail as those birds quickly flew away from me.  At the time, I didn't know what kind of birds they were, but later learned they were dark-eyed juncos.  

     During succeeding winters, I saw juncos in weedy fields near stands of young, planted evergreen trees, into which they retreated when frightened by a hungry hawk, or my presence.  Interestingly, those jaunty juncos always flashed white V's as they flitted away into the conifers to hide.  And those V's disappeared when the birds landed in the dark recesses of needled boughs, which, I suspect, confuses would-be predators who lost track of their prey.  Juncos also spend winter nights in the sheltering embrace of young, shapely coniferous trees. 

     A few years later, I noticed white-throated sparrows wintering in thickets along woodland edges and hedgerows between fields.  Many of those little, brown and streaked birds had white throat patches.  And all of them had striking, black and white-striped crowns.  Adult males sang their beautifully whistled songs at dusk before retiring for the night in sheltering thickets.  

     The attractive and adaptable dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows winter among planted conifers and thickets in local farmland, and in Lancaster County suburbs.  We get both these handsome and interesting species on our suburban lawn every winter, because of conifers, shrubbery and bird feeders.  They also feed on the seeds of weeds and tall grasses, where they can find them. 

     Juncos and white-throats arrive in Lancaster County in the autumn beauties of mid-October from nesting grounds farther north.  And they stay here until the lovely greening of stately trees and shrubbery in early May, when those birds push north to raise young.    

     Wintering juncos and white-throats, either alone or together, help enliven lawns with their beauties and activities.  And they are a couple of the first bird species to come to bird feeders.  Watch for them and other kinds of lively birds on your lawn.  They certainly help brighten a gloomy, cold winter's day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SPRING ON THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE

      I visited the Upper Chesapeake Bay at the Community Park of Northeast, Maryland one afternoon about the middle of March a few years ago, as I had several times in different seasons before that day.  This time, I went there to spot migrating water birds of various kinds.        Because of their high numbers, gulls and ducks were the dominant birds on the ice, and strips of open water among the slabs of ice because of the warming weather in March.  Most of the handsome ring-billed, herring and great black-backed gulls stood picturesquely on slabs of ice.        The attractive, adult ring-billed and herring gulls are mostly gray on top, white below, and look much alike, except the herrings are larger and have a red mark on their beaks, whereas each ring-bill has a black "ring" around its bill.  Largest of these gulls, the stately, mature black-backs have black backs and upper wings and are white below, making a striking, attractive plumage pattern.        All three of thos
Read more

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

     During summer, over the years in southeastern Pennsylvania, I've seen many daddy-long-legs on the bark of tree trunks on lawns, and in parks and woods.  They blend into the color of tree bark well and are difficult to see.  Many people never see them at all until those camouflaged little critters are pointed out by people in the know about them.        Daddy-long-legs have eight, really long, thin legs, but they are not spiders.  But they are arachnids, and related to spiders.  These attractive, little creatures, called daddy-long-legs because of their long legs, have quarter-inch, compact bodies raised on stilt-like legs.  They have two dark eyes and feel the vibrations of birds and other predators with their legs.  But these arachnids have no venom, or silk to make webs.        Daddy-long-legs, like all other living beings, are part of several food chains.  They consume tiny invertebrates and decaying plant and animal materials they find on tree bark.  And, in turn, many of
Read more

FATHER FINCHES FEEDING FLEDGINGS

     While sitting on our back deck to enjoy the lovely scenery and weather during the afternoon of July 21, 2023, I noticed a tiny, red speck in our tall Norway spruce tree on our suburban lawn in southeastern Pennsylvania.  Peering at that red spot with 16 power binoculars, I saw it was a beautiful male house finch feeding three fledgling house finches; his offspring.  Those gray and dark-streaked young birds fluttered their wings vigorously while being fed invertebrates and seeds.  And the wild charm of those birds was decidedly enhanced by the deep-green of the needled spruce boughs.        Those four house finches were a lovely, exciting sight to me.  I know that species of small birds raises young in our neighborhood every summer, including a pair of house finches that hatch offspring on a support under an awning over our deck.  But never before had I watched a father house finch feed his young outside their twig and grass cradle.  And when that male finch flew off the spruce lim
Read more