BIRD MIGRATION
and a snow shovel...

With a Spring season that seems bent on ignoring the calendar it is no wonder a couple of my feeder birds seem confused these days.

That's a male American Goldfinch, the lower of the two birds in the photo, with his dining pal, a Dark-eyed Junco, above him on the thistle feeder.

You cannot help but notice the goldfinch is already decked out in his splashy breeding plumage.  That's just fine, but, I don't usually see that happen when there still are juncos present.

Juncos tend to winter here then scurry north, far above the US/Canada border where they enjoy their breeding range and raise their young.  The peak of their Spring migration is usually in March or earlier April. 

The goldfinch, now splendidly attired in his mating finery, also spent the winter here but he was dressed very much like his lady counterpart in a drab, army-green feather suit.  It's the arrival of Spring that sets his hormones to dancing and his color to become canary-like in hopes of attracting a desirable mate.

Migration is not something to set your clock by, however.  So, soon, no doubt, the junco will be on his way north.

In fact, maybe I am partially responsible for his delayed departure.

I wonder if he is confused by the fact I still have not had the courage to put my snow shovel away.