Iconic Species

Day 132: Although the range map in Sibley's Field Guide to Birds of Western North America indicates that Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) are a winter bird, my yard is never without a resident population. That said, during this unusually protracted snowy spell, I don't think I've ever seen as many here at one time. I would estimate that close to 60 individuals may be present at once at my feeders, on the ground beneath them and perched in the nearby shrubs, waiting for their turn at the seed. They are not the only species putting up an abnormally large showing. The Varied Thrushes are still around, 30 or 40 birds who aggress on each other, but not on others not of their race. An influx of Purple Finches began a few days ago, and now their numbers are likewise swelling. The Red-Winged Blackbirds are back in force, as are the undesirable Starlings. Add to this census the family of Black-Capped Chickadees, a few Song Sparrows, a dozen or so Spotted Towhees, the customary Steller's Jays, Crows and Ravens and even a solitary Mourning Dove, and you have, if not the larger scope of a "Big Year," at least the window-peeping birder's picture of a "Big Yard."