Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
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Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
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Thursday, March 6. 2008

Grackles and Robins

Our first migratory wave of flocks of Common Grackles and Robins arrived here this week from their winter in the southern US. We have spoken of Turdus Migratorius (Robin) here in the past, but not about the Common Grackle, who has been extending his range from the Mississippi Valley across the US east of the Rockies, and north into Canada.

A flock of these large wetlands-loving (but highly adaptable) blackbirds will empty your bird feeder in a few hours, accompanied by their loud screeching and squawking.

Our friend Sippican sends this photo of a migratory flock in his yard on the Massachusetts coast last September:

You can read about the Common Grackle here.

Posted by Bird Dog in Natural History and Conservation, Our Essays at 15:36 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

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They tend to swarm the fruit on our dogwood trees - then leave colorful droppings on every nearby car and window.
#1 NJSoldier on 2008-03-06 16:02 (Reply)
We've had them for awhile now. Along with red-winged blackbirds and some robins. I saw bluebirds as late as February, don't know if they ever went south.
#2 Santay on 2008-03-06 16:26 (Reply)
bluebirds dont really migrate.
#2.1 BD on 2008-03-06 17:33 (Reply)
Charlie Gibson did a report on the Gracle filth problem in Ft. Worth/Dallas.

They tryed scaring them with blasts from guns but the Gacles came right back after some initial start.

Hawks are proving to be the best remedy.

Hawks like Gackles fer runch.
#3 Leag on 2008-03-06 16:33 (Reply)
Biggest pain in the ass bird, that I've ever seen.
#4 Jim Papa on 2008-03-06 16:51 (Reply)
They are a real pest here in Texas and once they move into a hospitable area it is almost impossible to get rid of them. They like water and tall trees and have made parts of our downtown area almost uninhabitable by man or other bird. They are shriekingly loud, disease carrying flying rodents, but I have heard that since they are migratory, they are "protected". I have never met an animal less deserving of this protection unless it was the giant flying cockroach-which also seems to love this city.
#5 dianainsa on 2008-03-06 21:55 (Reply)
They were here first.
#6 BD on 2008-03-06 23:00 (Reply)
Screeching and squawking in unison, drowning out all other sound. Crapping all over everything.
Grackles, the libtard bird.
#7 Carl H. (Link) on 2008-03-06 23:18 (Reply)
Good morning everyone,
It's finally spring here in Ontario and the robins and grackles have arrived. After watching for two days, a pair of diligent robins make a nest in a fir tree outside my kitchen window, I witnessed grackles relentlessly chase them away. It is so sad to watch. Does anyone know how I can make my property more attractive to robins and less so to these swarms of grackles?
#8 Lynn Bibby Smith on 2008-05-04 08:49 (Reply)

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