I was walking over to check on my peas when a little bird exploded out of the weeds. I bent down and peered close to find a nest! It was a thrill to see four little eggs in it.
My brother-in-law identified it as a junco nest. I didn’t know much about juncos, but did a quick read up on them. They’re part of the sparrow family and thrive in cold weather, so I’m not surprised they were one of the first nests I actually saw this spring. Juncos mostly eat seeds and insects—checks out, since once I spotted the parent bird waiting to duck inside with some white grubs in its beak.
Two days later, I went back to check on the nest and was delighted to find that the eggs had hatched.
I haven’t gotten to see this kind of new life up close since I was a kid studying birds for school. It’s pretty amazing.
