Dark-eyed Junco

I’ve always lived in an area where Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) are called snowbirds, since they migrate to the area for the winter.

I had a surprise back in the summer 2014 when I went just a short distance from my cabin, up the mountain, to Shenandoah National Park and saw Juncos enjoying the warm summer weather. After checking I realized that there is a population of Juncos that spend the summer along the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. So close to me in their own little world and no migrating thanks to the higher elevation.

Back here at home though they’re still my snowbirds.

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

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