Thursday's Bird Watch

 Dallas Retirement Village residents, Vern and Ann Beeson, reported to me to me this last week that they were seeing lots of Dark-eyed Juncos in their Garden Home yard.  I tend to think of Dark-eyed Juncos as winter birds as only a few are usually seen here during the summer.  The majority of them leave to seek the coolness of higher elevations to nest and raise their young. But, at this time of year their numbers swell here in the Willamette Valley as they return to our milder climate for winter.  Look for them on the ground and in the shrubbery as they scurry around looking for bugs and seeds to eat.  This Dark-eyed Junco was photographed here at DRV on October 22nd.