Dark-eyed Junco

Despite their name, Juncos are members of the sparrow family, though perhaps more distinctive than the other sparrows we have looked at lately.

At the Feeder

Fern recently installed a bird feeder in the back yard and I took some time yesterday to observe the surprisingly busy traffic. As well as trying out some new shooting techniques it also enabled me to continue with my quest to learn to distinguish all those little brown birds that populate our environment. Below are four that I have tentatively identified. If you're a birder, please feel free to correct me as I'm still not very confident when it comes to these little brown birds.

Mistakenly identified as a Pine Siskin. (See note * below)	House Finch
Fox Sparrow	Dark-eyed Junco

* Re: Top left photo - The Pine Siskin is similar to this but after looking at various field guides I feel quite sure this is actually a female House Finch. The red-capped male House Finches are relatively easy to id and since they are regular visitors in the same flocks, this adds additional weight to the case for this being a female of the species.

Dark-eyed Junco

Some of the photographers I admire most specialize in bird photography. I find it very challenging. Birds are shy and hard to approach; they move around unpredictably and jerkily a lot; they come and go seasonally; and they're often quite small and in difficult locations - up in trees, for example. Other favourite subjects of mine, wildflowers, are relatively easy to photograph since once they are located they can be photographed without worrying about their immediate departure. Bird photography is also pretty demanding when it comes to equipment. A very good long lens is absolutely necessary. It is possible to get reasonably adequate bird photos like the one above with a 300mm zoom. But for really outstanding results something more powerful and faster is required - maybe a 400mm prime lens. However, one has to have pretty deep pockets for that kind of lens since they start around $1,500. A good tripod is another necessity since long lenses with good glass tend to be very heavy and difficult to hand-hold without shaking. But certainly the most demanding requirement for good bird photos is patience. Lots of patience.

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

The Chestnut-backed Chickadee pictured last week was nicely perched on the branch of a tree since that is where they are usually seen. Today's bird is on the walkway since these birds, the Dark-eyed Juncos, prefer to forage on the ground. Apparently ornithologists are still sorting out bird taxonomy and though I have formerly identified these local residents as Oregon Juncos, it seems that the latter refers to a sub-species and our local birds may or may not be members of that sub-species since there is a great deal of variation within the genus. In any case I always like to see these neat, busy little birds no matter what they are called.

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

I thought I would try some backyard birding so here's what I was able to attract with a bit of bird seed this morning. This is another member of the sparrow family, called the Dark-eyed Junco or the Oregon Junco. Above is a male - the females are not so brightly colored or distinctive so I can't be quite so sure about the identification of the bird on the right, though she was hanging out with a bunch of male juncos and fits the description of a female of the species.