I wonder why you had fewer juncos than usual, Ruth. I've had lots of them this year, but that's pretty typical. The one thing I've noticed is that my juncos seem to have made some adaptations in their eating habits, or perhaps I've just become more observant. I thought I remembered them being primarily ground feeders when I first started watching them. Now they eat safflower from the platform feeders, suet in a closed-in-cage holder, nyjer seed from the the 'thistle' sack, and just about anything else that is available. They also seem to be more aggressive than I recall, not being afraid to shove some of the other birds out of their way.
What has been missing for me has been my chickadees, tufted titmice, and nuthatches, who have made very few visits during the past few months. At least my downy woodpeckers are regulars and a single red-bellied woodpecker does show up pretty often as well.
Besides the yellow showing up on the male goldfinches, I'd have to say that the one sign that spring is coming is the "friskiness" of both the juncos and the mourning doves. Both of these species seem to have more on their minds than just keeping warm and well-fed. I guess the house sparrow who has been carrying nesting materials into the new roosting shelter could also be considered a sign that winter is waning.
Leequi
