The Return of the Juncos

Although my children are still venturing outside to play with flip-flops since they are apparently immune to the cold, the cooler fall temperatures have definitely settled in and it really "feels" like fall.  We've had our first  frost, I've pulled out the sweaters and winter coats for the cold fall mornings, and even somewhat successfully started our first fire in the fireplace last night with a little help from Duraflame and several sections of the Inquirer. 

For me, one final and undeniable fall indicator is the return of our little gray and white friends from Canada, the dark-eyed juncos.  These medium-sized sparrows live and breed in Canada all summer long, and then fly south to all parts of the US for the winter.  They are ground birds and hop around and flock in your backyard to look for seeds.  If you have bird feeders, they park under the feeders or perch in nearby shrubs for the entire winter to wait for dropped seed treats. Juncos are easy to recognize by their bright white tail and belly feathers and pale yellow to pinkish bills.  They cheerfully make high-pitched chirps all day.  While perhaps not as flashy as some other types of birds that over-winter here, I always feel a little extra cheerful when I notice that the little juncos have returned for another winter season. 

I first noticed that our juncos had returned this past Thursday while I was staring out the window watching the rain fall (when I should have been working, ahem).  Has anyone else noticed that their juncos have returned too?