{"id":15103,"date":"2021-01-11T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=15103"},"modified":"2021-01-11T09:00:57","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T14:00:57","slug":"take-5-whatcha-gonna-do-with-all-that-junco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-whatcha-gonna-do-with-all-that-junco\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Whatcha Gonna Do With All That Junco?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you enjoy watching birds at feeders, there’s a good chance you have a soft spot for these little darlings of the winter bird feeder crowd: Dark-eyed Juncos<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there are juncos to be found in Massachusetts year-round, these “snowbirds” are most recognizable hopping around on the ground or in the snow beneath seed feeders, often in small flocks. These ground-feeding sparrows love to snap up fallen seeds in their cone-shaped pink bills, which contrast sharply with their dark grey or brown upper plumage. Their white outer tail feathers will flash into view when they take flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many juncos spend the breeding season to the North of us, across much of Canada, flying south and spreading out across North America the rest of the year, although some will stay year-round and retreat to the woods or higher elevations as the weather warms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy these five photos of Dark-eyed Juncos from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest and look for them on your next winter walk in the woods!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dark-eyed
Dark-eyed Junco \u00a9 Rob Cardinale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dark-eyed
Dark-eyed Junco \u00a9 Andy Eckerson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dark-eyed
Dark-eyed Junco \u00a9 Dan Harrington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dark-eyed
Dark-eyed Junco \u00a9 Jim Feroli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dark-eyed
Dark-eyed Junco \u00a9 Eladi Bermudez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you enjoy watching birds at feeders, there’s a good chance you have a soft spot for these little darlings of the winter bird feeder crowd: Dark-eyed Juncos. Although there are juncos to be found in Massachusetts year-round, these “snowbirds” are most recognizable hopping around on the ground or in the snow beneath seed feeders, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":15104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,158],"tags":[28,83,84,297,296],"class_list":["post-15103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-take-5","tag-birds","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography","tag-sparrows","tag-winter-birds"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/01\/154EladiBermudez593.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3VB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6846,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-juncos\/","url_meta":{"origin":15103,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Dark-eyed Juncos","author":"Hillary T.","date":"January 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Known colloquially as \u201csnowbirds,\u201d dark-eyed juncos are often linked to winter. These small, gray, seed-eating birds in the sparrow family are most often seen in Massachusetts from fall migration in October to spring migration in April. But what many people might not realize is that juncos can be found in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/01\/FOFEladiBermudez593.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/01\/FOFEladiBermudez593.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/01\/FOFEladiBermudez593.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12020,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-so-many-sparrows\/","url_meta":{"origin":15103,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: So Many Sparrows","author":"Ryan D.","date":"December 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Sparrows have a reputation for being a bit tricky for beginning birders to identify. Thankfully, the colder months are a good time to get some practice in, with several common species overwintering here in Massachusetts, including American Tree Sparrows, White-Throated Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos (yes, they belong to the sparrow\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dark-eyed Junco \u00a9 Andy Eckerson","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/2970Andy_Eckerson10724.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8489,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/bird-seed-basics\/","url_meta":{"origin":15103,"position":2},"title":"Bird Seed Basics","author":"Hillary T.","date":"December 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Want to see birds without ever having to leave home? Look no further than outside your own window. All you need to attract birds is the right type of bird feeder and food. And don't be concerned about creating a hardship for birds should you decide to take a hiatus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/12\/161SusumuKishihara3650.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/12\/161SusumuKishihara3650.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/12\/161SusumuKishihara3650.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1154,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/birding-after-migration\/","url_meta":{"origin":15103,"position":3},"title":"Birding After Migration","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"November 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"We have turned the seasonal corner. The swallows are gone, the egrets have fled, and \u00a0shorebirds and warblers have pushed their way south. You may well ask, \u201cWhat do we do we look for now?\u201d In many ways, Massachusetts is perfectly suited for winter birding, thanks in part to our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/11\/purple-sandpiper_Richard-Johnson-and-Mass-Audubon.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13209,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-dont-get-cheeky-with-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":15103,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: Don’t Get Cheeky With Me","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The industrious Eastern Chipmunk spends its days, especially this time of year as the weather is getting colder, gathering and storing food in their burrows, which will sustain them during the winter.\u00a0 Seeds, berries, nuts, and fruit are the mainstay of the chipmunk's diet, but they also eat insects, insect\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Chipmunk \u00a9 Susumu Kishihara","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17232,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/fall-birding-hotspots\/","url_meta":{"origin":15103,"position":5},"title":"Fall Birding Hotspots","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"October 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When the heat of summer fades in October, the crispness of fall is a signal to birders to get outdoors and search for fall migratory birds. Don\u2019t know where to start? Check out these birding hotspots at some of our Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries.\u00a0 Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, Marshfield\u00a0 This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/5444Scott_Creamer32352-750x500-840d013f-bd1f-473d-9e50-126d5e33b8c3-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/5444Scott_Creamer32352-750x500-840d013f-bd1f-473d-9e50-126d5e33b8c3-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/5444Scott_Creamer32352-750x500-840d013f-bd1f-473d-9e50-126d5e33b8c3-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/5444Scott_Creamer32352-750x500-840d013f-bd1f-473d-9e50-126d5e33b8c3-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15103"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15112,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15103\/revisions\/15112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}