Haans' and Barbara's observations, along with Mary Ann's testimonial,  pretty much tell the story of the dark-eyed junco's  nesting population expansion.  
As said, they started out in the hemlock ravines of extreme NE Ohio's Snowbelt.  In recent years, they have busted out of the hemlocks to become backyard birds in Geauga County anyway.

I've known them to nest in hanging baskets, dried flower door wreaths, garage shelves, under the grassy lips of drainage ditches, etc.  While southern birds such as the N. mockingbird continue to expand populations north following the global warming trend, seems that juncos - and, to a lesser, but notable extent, yellow-bellied sapsuckers - seem to be bucking that trend with a  population expansion in and beyond NE Ohio's Snowbelt. 

Dan Best, Senior Naturalist - Geauga Park District

On Jun 24, 2013, at 9:38 PM, maryann sedivy wrote:

> There is a Dark-eyed Junco nesting in a hanging basket on my front porch.  I think we were equally startled when I watered the flowers the other day.  
> This is interesting.  It seems in the past few years that more Juncos are year round residents. It used to be that they could be found in cool woodland ravines in our area; places like Stebbins Gulch in Lake County or the West Woods in Geauga County.  Yet I've noticed them for about the past 5  years or more year round on my property--which isn't entirely typical habitat for a junco-although there are woods nearby. This year is the first time to have the actual nest right at my door!  A friend told my that her neighbor also has Juncos nesting in a flower basket on the porch.
> What's going on with the Juncos?  Anybody else have them nesting?
> 
> Mary Ann Sedivy
> Newbury
> Geauga County
> 
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