The Juncos Have Landed

As Dark-eyed Juncos are beginning to be seen in the Pacific Northwest, as they in many other parts of the country, I took the BirdCam down from the Mounting Arm on which it was positioned and placed it directly on the ground to capture some images of these ground feeding birds.

Incidentally, if you, like me, have wondered at the odd name of these charming little birds, it comes from their Latin scientific name, Junco hyemalis - juncus for “a rush or reed,” and hyemalis, for “winter.” A winter bird that frequents reedy areas; well, they got it half right.