Dark-eyed Junco: "Seed Tax Collector"
Congratulations, you have successfully filed your seed taxes!
(Dark-eyed Junco - photo by Neil Barker - March 16, 2024)
An offering made for those enduring the waning Winter.
The offering happily accepted by a visitor.
Spring emerging, the sights and sounds of new lives soon to arrive.
I took these photos on Saturday March 16, 2024. I had returned from my hike and was at my parking spot at Britannia Conservation Area. I leave seeds on these posts at the beginning of my hike and at the end of my hike.
This was the first time I have seen a Dark-eyed Junco take seeds from the tops of these posts. Usually, it’s Black-capped Chickadees, a pair of Northern Cardinals that live in the hedges, and Song Sparrows in Spring, Summer, and Fall.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the junco. As I was loading my hiking gear in the back of my SUV, I spotted this little junco land on the post about 15 feet away. I had just left sunflower seeds on the tops of a few posts.
Nature always surprises me. I am grateful for having my seed taxes collected by this junco. I wish them a pleasant and warm Spring that’s arriving soon!
Happy are they who are happy to give. Generosity is the light of the world. ☀️
Very interesting & surprising to see a junco having at the seeds on top of the post! They are almost always on the ground beneath the feeders, getting the seeds that have fallen—or eating from a bowl of seed low to the ground. A surprise indeed! Thank you for writing, your sijos and meditations are a lovely part of the morning.