Gray-headed Junco Nesting Activity - Centennial (Arapahoe)

[Jared Del Rosso]

Spring came on quick this week, with the arrival of Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows and Swainson's Hawks in the little portion of west Centennial I bird (Arapahoe).

But I'm writing because this morning, a pair of Dark-eyed Juncos (Gray-headed) briefly showed signs of nest-building in my yard. Tragically (for me), my dog inadvertently chased them away while running after a robin. (I need to fence in the brush the birds like.) One of the juncos picked up a long, stringy piece of grass and flew branch to branch looking for a place to place it. 

Do juncos sometimes begin nesting activities at lower altitudes, before taking the real activity back into the mountains?

- Jared Del Rosso

Centennial, CO