Every year, just after the Autumn Equinox, I find myself looking into the backyard with the hope that I will see a Dark-Eyed Junco, heralding an end to the hot and muggy days and the beginning of my favourite season of the year, winter. These energetic sparrows only occupy my back hedge during the winter months. In 2021, I noted the first sighting of a Junco on September 29th, while in 2022, my first backyard Junco sighting was not until October 11th. These brave little sparrows are one of the few birds that stay in my backyard through the very cold and snowy Eastern Ontario winters.
The male Juncos in my area have slate-gray upper bodies, white or light-coloured bellies, and a light pinkish beak. The females have the addition of brown tones to their feathers. Juncos are one of the more active birds that come to my feeders at any time of the year.
They are also one of the shyest birds that come to the feeder, scattering at the slightest sight of me in the yard. Most of the other birds, even other types of sparrows, get familiar with me being close by and resume their usual feeding activities. Juncos are just as concerned with the other Juncos around them as they are with feeding.
They are continually leaping at one another and engaging in agile aerial battles. None of these confrontations are serious fighting, and from my point of view, they have a strong element of playfulness that is one of the most joyful things to watch on a winter’s day.
As winter draws to a close and signs of spring emerge, the time for Juncos in my hedge diminishes as their numbers at my feeder dwindle. Juncos share the hedge with spring and summer sparrows such as song and chipping sparrows for a brief period in early spring. I remember reading somewhere that Juncos did not get along well with many other types of sparrows, but I have found that the Juncos in my yard give the other species of sparrows little trouble. The presence of Dark-Eyed Juncos at my winter bird feeding areas gives me many hours of enjoyment during a season when bird and animal activity has slowed down.
The Heron and Rose 