November 12, 1961 - Slate-colored JuncosSlate- colored iYmncox
Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven
Focus on -Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh
There are many signs t h at
winter is just around the corner.
Leafless trees, dry dead grasses,
frosty morns and the clearin4 of
oar bay waters all tell us -?hat
winter is on its way.
But to me, one sign that car-
ries more significance than • all
• the others is 'the first flight of
the snow birds or, as they are
called by the newer generation,
the Juncos.
His gray and white coat repre- .
sents an omen of what lies ahead. -
The upper gray of this bird repre - * -.
sents the cold cloudy days of
winter while the lower w h it e'
depicts the swirling snows that
are sure to come.
Probably the greatest migration
of These birds occurs in mid Octo-
ber but it 'is not uncommon to
find them returning in e a r l y
September. Many of these Juncos
pass through our•state, into the
neighboring states and on down
to Florida. Yet, there are large
numbers that stay through the
winter and add to our scant win-
ter population.
Late February and early March
mark the first flights back from
The South to the northern nesting
- roWnds and by the middle of
'Viay most of these chd'erful winter
!isi'tors have left.
The nesting grounds are. usually
'i m o n g the g r e a t earnivoreo
19ands of the North where the.
a I i m a t e is so cool and' damp.
;Sere, on or near the ground, on
Mick moss- covered slopes, t h e
';unto cleverly conceals its nest.
in New York, the high elevations
Vf the Catskills and Adirondacks
provide suitable nesting sites, and
It is recorded that the Adiron-
dacks, in particular, claim the
Junco as a common nesting bird.
Adescription I am sure is not
necessary here, for even t he
casual observer has seen the snow
bird. The only confusion might
come to those who think they
have another species of Junco
when they come across the fe-
male. She has a .%rownish back
like many of the sparrows and
her vest is less sharply marked.
In flight the flashing white tail
feathers-make perfect identifica-
tion easy while the characteristic
"tsip will never be forgotten.
All winter long the Junco, along
with other members of the spar-
row family, will visit your feeder
regularly, provided you stock it
with wild seeds or crumbs from
your table.
What a joy these small creat-
ures can bring to you on a cold
winter's day as they hop about,
unconcerned with the weather,
talking amongst themselves as if
it were a bright June day. These
are cold weather birds and no
m a t t e r what , Mother Nature
serves 'in the line of weather, be
it wind and rain, sleet or snow,
their s p i r i t s never seem to
dampen.
During the big snow of last
year I found a flock of these*
snow birds undaunted as they fed
from one swaying stem to another
on the dried up weeds that were
left protruding above the 'snow
-Considering the great number of
seeds and insects these b i r d s
consume, they surely rate high
as a benefical member of our
Because of its fondness for
society.
caught birds in the bander s trap.
seed, it is one of the most easily
Over 300,000 have already been
banded, giving 'it the distinction
of being the most banded bird
in the country.
Juncos can most always be
found in the company of others
and they hold true to this gre-
garious tradition except w h e n
handful of grain placed on the
snow in almost any field w 111
soon find takers. Then setting up
the blind and taking 'the pictures
affords a memorable experience.
In almost every part of North
America from the tree line south
to Mexico, the Junco in on e
species of another can be found.
Here on Long,. Island we a r e
privileged only to see the eastern
Slate- colored Junco and yet on
rare occasions, -that make binding
exciting, there is always the rari-
ty of finding another one of the
species wandering into our area.
This happened last year when
Mr Nye of the Bayard Cutting
Arboretum observed an Oregon
Junco feeding at his station. This
western bird was far from his
home territory and drew much
attention from birders all over
Long Island. The 'Oregon Junco
can be identified by his pro-
nounced reddish -brown back con-
trasting with his black head.
It is events like these in our
continually changing world of
birds that makes this an exciting
and rewarding adventure to
follow.
nesting. Often when I approach FIELD OBSERVATIONS:
a flock in the fields they all take
flight at once, chattering among
themselves as they drift ahead
only to settle at a new location.
Many's the time Ive' walked with
caution to within a few yards
of these feeding birds. Because of
this, those who follow my first
Roy Latham reports:
East Marion — November 1
Evening Grosbeak — male and
three females
Orient — November 7
Snow Bunting — two
Judd Bennett reports:
East Marion — November 7
love, bird photography, will find
this bird most cooperative. A Continuod on Page 14M