Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Wrong Again!

Juncos are still here after all. Their numbers are overwhelmed by the white-crowned sparrows, but yesterday there was definitely a gray-headed junco keeping me company while I sat outside. My informants tell me that they don't leave, they just migrate west to higher altitudes for the summer. And the bird book confirms that they do indeed breed here in the Rockies, the whole range just shifts a little west and north with the onset of warmer weather. Just shows I haven't been spending enough time in the mountains lately.

East-west migration is a pretty common phenomenon here in Colorado, where we can always find snow upstream if it gets too hot here in the lowlands. Contrariwise, the Stellar's jays often come down from Evergreen to visit when a winter storm threatens 10 miles up the canyon.

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