{"id":136133,"date":"2024-11-02T02:43:35","date_gmt":"2024-11-02T07:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=136133"},"modified":"2024-11-02T03:29:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-02T08:29:12","slug":"slate-colored-dark-eyed-junco-in-arkansas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/11\/02\/slate-colored-dark-eyed-junco-in-arkansas\/","title":{"rendered":"Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco In Arkansas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Along with a cool front, the juncos have returned to Arkansas, including this subtle but lovely female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco I photographed yesterday.<\/p>\n

\"Slate-coloredSlate-colored Dark-eyed Junco female in Arkansas \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/300, ISO 2000, +0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When I lived in Virginia, Dark-eyed Juncos usually showed up a few days before the first winter snow. Mom and I called them snowbirds, as many people do, and she loved seeing the juncos.<\/p>\n

The Slate-colored Dark-eyed Juncos are a subspecies I only saw once in Utah, down near Fish Lake. Out there, I saw the Oregon subspecies most often, with the Pink-sided and Gray-headed subspecies on occasion. I even photographed the Oregon subspecies from my living room window during snowstorms.<\/p>\n

In Utah, some of the juncos bred high in the mountains. Here in Arkansas and Oklahoma, they arrive and brighten the days in between their breeding seasons.<\/p>\n

I’ve been looking forward to seeing these small, pink-billed members of the sparrow family, and now they\u2019ve arrived. For a few days, the juncos seemed a bit on the skittish side. Now, they appear to be warming up to being around the other birds and are a touch less skittish.<\/p>\n

During winter, the Slate-colored Dark-eyed Juncos form flocks that can range from six to over thirty individuals, often staying within a 10-acre area. These flocks exhibit a dominance hierarchy, with adult males at the top.<\/p>\n

I enjoy observing the juncos\u2019 playful antics as they forage on the ground, scratching through leaves and seeds. Their social behavior, especially in winter flocks, offers great opportunities to observe and photograph candid moments that reflect their lively personalities.<\/p>\n

On top of their subtle beauty, I love listening to the soft songs and calls<\/span><\/a> of juncos. It\u2019s such a treat to see, hear, and photograph Slate-colored Dark-eyed Juncos again.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Dark-eyed Junco photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Along with a cool front, the juncos have returned to Arkansas, including this subtle but lovely female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco I photographed yesterday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13950,27,2749,13951],"tags":[4004,970,2750,4620,13981,4070,13931,6036,2751,15908,6037,4104,15907,4195,15824,11722,13966],"class_list":["post-136133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-avian","category-dark-eyed-juncos","category-sebastian-county","tag-adult","tag-autumn","tag-dark-eyed-junco","tag-fall","tag-feeder","tag-female","tag-garden","tag-junco","tag-junco-hyemalis","tag-junco-hyemalis-hyemalis","tag-juncos","tag-perched","tag-slate-colored","tag-sparrows","tag-suburban","tag-vine","tag-yard"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-5599.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-zpH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":137182,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/11\/20\/enchanting-slate-colored-dark-eyed-junco\/","url_meta":{"origin":136133,"position":0},"title":"Enchanting Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco enchanted me with soft calls and a subtle appearance. They bring joy to any outdoor scene anywhere, in any season. I adore them.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in Arkansas, Sebastian County","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-slate-colored-junco-fall-arkansas-ma-mcpherson-8633.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-slate-colored-junco-fall-arkansas-ma-mcpherson-8633.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dark-eyed-slate-colored-junco-fall-arkansas-ma-mcpherson-8633.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-winter-mia-mcpherson-0670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-winter-mia-mcpherson-0670.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-winter-mia-mcpherson-0670.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-winter-mia-mcpherson-0670.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137681,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/12\/05\/december-female-slate-colored-dark-eyed-junco\/","url_meta":{"origin":136133,"position":2},"title":"December Female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm enjoying sharing my Dark-eyed Junco photos from Arkansas almost as much as I enjoy hearing, seeing, and photographing them since they arrived this fall.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in December, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-mia-mcpherson-5832.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-mia-mcpherson-5832.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco after an Arkansas snow, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-snow-mia-mcpherson-3690.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-snow-mia-mcpherson-3690.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-snow-mia-mcpherson-3690.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9000.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9000.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9000.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-snowstorm-mia-mcpherson-9000.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":165957,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/12\/18\/dark-eyed-junco-memories\/","url_meta":{"origin":136133,"position":5},"title":"Dark-eyed Junco Memories","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year on this date, I photographed this female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco in my friend Steve Creek's garden from his deck on a chilly morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-mia-mcpherson-8869.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dark-eyed-junco-slate-colored-female-mia-mcpherson-8869.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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