I have to admit, I’m in love with the Dark-eyed Junco. Not only are these little birds gorgeous, but they do an incredible job of cleaning up all that birdseed the finches drop from the feeder.
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My Love, the Dark-eyed Junco
hike.wander.wonder 
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing both the “Slate-coloured” and “Oregon” races, which used to be considered different species, BTW. Where I live (in North Vancouver), they tend to nest in the more mountainous areas and “migrate” a couple of kilometers downhill in the winter. And yes, they do a great job of cleaning up what the Pine Siskins leave behind.
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Cool!
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I was really surprised by your photos. We only see dark-eyed juncos here in the winter, but ours look nothing like yours. This sent me off to my bird book where I learned that yours are the “Oregon race”and ours are the “Slate-colored race.” I had no idea there were color variants. I’ll have to post some photos of our local ones. Like yours, they are ground feeders eating what other birds have knocked out of the feeders.
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I’d love to see a photo. I’m not sure why I like these little birds so much. They are right up there with the chestnut-backed chickadee.
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I like them too. For some strange reason they spend their winters here, but not the summers.
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Wonder where the ones you see spend their summers. Maybe Canada? Two or three have been hanging around our home for a couple months now, and just a few days ago, three more joined the group. I’m curious to see if they’ll stay the winter or move on.
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