[Birdtalk] Four Subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco

[Kristin Purdy]

I'd like to report, with just a smattering of pride, four subspecies of 
Dark-eyed Junco under my feeders in Ogden, Weber County, in the past 2 days. 
The celebrity junco was the Slate-colored of the eastern race that I saw 
yesterday. Previous Slate-coloreds that have appeared in my yard have been 
of the Canadian Rocky Mountain race, which is more common on this side of 
the Rockies. Yesterday's bird was my first for the eastern race in my yard 
or even in Utah.

Most of my juncos are of the Oregon subspecies, of course. I also have a 
smattering of Pink-sided and some in-betweeners that I can't easily put into 
either camp. I don't think I've ever paid attention enough to notice 
Gray-headed; I see this bird at higher elevations during breeding season 
after I've stopped watching my feeders. But this morning I noticed a good 
candidate for a Gray-headed with a relatively strong and well-defined rufous 
mantle and pale gray upper breast that extended along the sides and flanks 
with no pinkish or rufous wash there. Whoopee!

Another junco observation is that the Pink-sided are by far the most 
aggressive birds among the scratchers. They chase everything and the Oregons 
don't hold their own very well. The Pink-sideds remind me of the dominant 
male hummingbird that takes over a feeder to the detriment of all others 
that try to feed.

Pride goeth before my fall, of course. I haven't seen yesterday's eastern 
Slate-colored again even though I continue to watch for him with great 
expectations. Now, if a White-winged subspecies would just show up, I'd be 
singing MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This!" with renewed pride. But alas, I 
think the White-winged is only found in the southeast corner of our state. 
The only report I remember was one of Lu Giddings' from one of his many 
trips to San Juan County.

Kris