"Birds will give you a window, if you allow them. They will show you secrets from another world - fresh vision that, though it is avian, can accompany you home and alter your life. They will do this for you even if you don't know their names - though such knowing is a thoughtful gesture. They will do this for you if you watch them." ~ Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Junco hyemalis oreganus: Oregon Junco
My favorite of the winter birds, doodled from memory... as you should be able to tell because Oregon Juncos tend to be ground feeding birds, so not likely to be seen from this angle. There are other things wrong with this doodle, but you get the dark hood and lighter beak, which are two distinguishing features of the Oregon Junco.
When it gets colder than cold (as it has been lately), I throw black oil sunflower seed out the back door to the porch for the juncos. The sparrows and house finches duke it out at the feeder, but the juncos forage on the ground so I like to level the playing field just a little bit for them.