Preview 5 - Dark-eyed juncos

During the Winter months, Dark-eyed juncos commonly gather along roadsides to feed on seeds from weeds.

Nikon Z9 with Z100-400 lens. 1/1000sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400

My home is in proximity to Harriman State Park in SE New York State. The park is only 40 miles north of New York City and thus gets a lot of patronage during the warmer months. During the cold of winter, however , The park its basically deserted especially during the weekdays. This makes for an idyllic setting for heading out into the forest in search of natural subjects to study and photograph. Today, the subject which presented itself was the Dark-eyed junco.

The Dark-eyed junco is another winter visitor. Most breed up in Canada during spring and summer and will migrate down into the northern states for the winter months. They are one of the easier birds to spot as they gather along roadsides to feed on seeds of grasses and weeds. The white outer tail feathers are conspicuous when they take flight as cars pass them by.

There are two forms of the Dark-eyed junco which are found in the United States. The form we see here in the eastern half of the states is referred to as the “Slate-colored” junco.

Slate-colored junco

Not too hard to see how it got its name!

Tech Tip - The “Rule of Thirds” : The photograph of the junco above utilizes a technique known as the “Rule of Thirds”. The Rule of Thirds is a fundamental principle in photography and visual art that helps create balanced and visually appealing compositions. By dividing an image into a grid of nine equal parts, using two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, photographers can identify key focal points where the lines intersect. Placing subjects along these lines or at their intersections often leads to more dynamic and engaging images compared to simply centering the subject. This technique encourages movement within the frame, drawing viewers' eyes throughout the composition and enhancing the overall aesthetic quality. Note how the birds in the images above appear to be looking out into blank space.