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Junco just ate at my feeder

14 years ago

Ok that was weird. Has anyone else seen a Junco eat at a feeder? He flew up to it, took a nibble through the screen, and flew off. I love how inquisitive and animated they are. I know they're really common but being a city girl for my whole life, never saw them before this season (married a country boy, moved out here, love all the animals I get to see).

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Comments (8)

claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
14 years ago
I've never seen a Junco at a feeder, but I sprinkle nyjer seed on the ground for all of the sparrow types (and turkeys), so they don't have to go to a feeder.

Claire
MojaveLove
Original Author
14 years ago
Yep :) next time I fill the feeder I'm going to scatter some on the ground, but it seems that there's a lot around the feeder already because they've been congregating there for weeks.
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donald lucius
14 years ago
i get juncos eating from my feeders all the time. I had purposely put oversize bases on several feeders to catch seed lots of birds were scattering. as long as the juncos can perch on the bases they are regullar visiters all winter long. i also have a couple pine rounds about 3 foot tall that i stand on end and put feed on and they are regulars to the rounds that a neighbor calls my stumps.
richardzone7maryland
14 years ago
I have seen juncos eating at my feeders in previous years, but so far the juncos haven't shown up this year. They are usually here by October 1. I have seen them elsewhere in the county -- along the Potomac River -- but not at my house. They seem to prefer eating on the ground, but when they can't find anything on the ground they will fly up to the feeder for seed.

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terrene
14 years ago
I used to get Juncos on the Suet log all the time. They will also jump up and occasionally eat out of the tray feeders.

Here's an old pic of the suet log from 2007. I tossed the suet log this summer because it got discolored and rotted, and all the perches had long since fallen off. In this pic there are 7 Juncos on the log at the same time!
njwilson
14 years ago
I've had junco's eating at my house for several weeks now. I even think I have a hybrid. It looks just like a dark-eyed junco, but it has a white cap. I've tried to see if I could find it online and have asked at my local birding store, but no one seems to recognize it. It seems to know when I have my camera ready and disappears. Must be camera shy.
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
14 years ago
This morning I saw a junco on the nyjer feeder, which usually has a lot of goldfinches on it. While I was watching a second junco flew up and pushed this junco off.

Claire
MojaveLove
Original Author
14 years ago
So cute. :)

My finches are back, I'm so happy. They've been MIA for a few months so I figured they went elsewhere. They found me again the other day though :)

And then a Brown-headed cowbird chased them away and took a few nibbles.

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