Foul Weather (Fowl) Friends

The slate colored junco is another favorite winter visitor. They show up when the going gets tough and disappear just as soon as the weather begins to warm. 

They like to hide and roost in the low shrubs and brush around my yard.

This year, I got a big bag of chicken scratch grain for them to supplement the sunflower hearts that I usually feed the birds, since these cuties are happier feeding on the ground than on the various feeders I have available for them. 

They're sort of plain, gray birds, but that doesn't detract from their appeal.

I'm not particularly showy, either, so maybe that's why I feel a kinship with these shy birds.

If I keep my eyes open, I occasionally see juncos fluttering in the brush around roads and walking trails during summer rambles, but they don't sit still enough in the warm weather to photograph.