The Dark-eyed Junco

For the past several months, this Dark-eyed Junco has been visiting our field, probably since the native plants we planted as seedlings have grown a lot due to the continuing spring rains.

In the past, I only saw once a flock of six of them in the yard of our previous home in the winter.

When we take walks through a nearby canyon park, we see and hear them throughout the year.

Imagine my surprise to see this one visiting in the afternoon, strolling through our native patch then perched on a narrow post.

The Dark-eyed Junco is a medium-sized sparrow, and the colors vary across the continent.

They breed in mixed coniferous forests across the western US, Canada and the Appalachians. They look for fallen seeds around the bases of shrubs and trees, and sometimes will venture to lawns.