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Common Grackles

claireplymouth z6b coastal MA

14 years ago

Today I noticed a few Common Grackles visiting the feeders. I'm in southeast MA on the coast. This is an unusual time for them - they usually leave in mid-summer and don't come back until next spring. Occasionally one will stay for the winter, but that's rare. Maybe they're migrating through and just stopped because they know the area and my feeders.

To me the grackle is a beautiful bird, as well as being a voracious caterpillar eater, so they're welcome. Looks good with the ornamental grasses.

This may be a juvenile (lighter color) and an adult (giving me the suspicious eye).

Claire

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Comments (8)

deanie1
14 years ago
Thanks for sharing Claire. Especially when glinting in the sun these birds can be very pretty.
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks deanie1. In late winter/early spring the grackles in the sun can be one of the brightest things in the drab garden.

Claire
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tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
14 years ago
Nice shots, Claire, thanks.

tj
paulsiu
14 years ago
Great pictures, at certain times of the year, Grackle shows up in large numbers around my feeder. They dominate the feeder except for the red belly woodpecker. Fortunately, they don't stick around forever, so I don't get just grackles.

Sometimes they show up in groups and they all look up in the sky at the same time (like your last picture), which I thought was weird, but it turns out that is a dominating gesture. Basically, they're all thumping their chest at each other. They all have very beautiful sheen feathers ranging from shiny black to a greenish color.

When I visited my sister in California, I notice they have what looks like a smaller version of the Grackle (I think they are Brewer's black bird). But she also gets Ravens, which I have seen only once in my area (probably passing through). I was shocked to see a crow like bird size of a duck.

Paul
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
Original Author
14 years ago
I've never seen a raven, Paul, but I'd love to. I've read that they are very playful and that one was seen flying upside down for about a kilometer.

I've also noticed that the red-bellies will stand up to the grackles. A few years ago I saw a grackle and a red-belly together on a suet/orange feeder.

The grackle tried to scare the woodpecker away, using some sort of threatening sounds,

but the woodpecker just returned the threat:

They both stayed on the feeder. A lot of bluster goes on in the bird world.

Claire
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
14 years ago
LOL Claire. That was a great conversation you captured between the grackle and red bellied.

tj
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
Original Author
14 years ago
Yesterday I was searching through some photo files looking for something else and I ran across an encounter between a Northern Flicker and a grackle.

The flicker was apparently calmly eating suet

when a grackle appeared and tried to chase the flicker away.

The flicker was not impressed and the grackle decided to share.

I'm getting more and more respect for woodpeckers (flickers included). You never hear of them being aggressive, but they really stand their ground.

Claire
MojaveLove
14 years ago
I love how you capture the "conversations" between birds, do you have anything else like that to share?

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