Grackle, 2011

Common Grackle

The grackles are back with their inky iridescent ebony bodies, long tails, perfect, round yellow eyes and squeaky hinge voices.

Grackles are social birds like starlings and you will rarely see one at a time; often you’ll see a dozen or more all marching imperiously about, talking loudly among themselves and gesticulating with their wings and beaks.

Oh, and their messy bird feeder habits. When they descend on your feeder or suet block, they don’t leave until nothing is left, which can happen in a surprisingly short period of time.

And they don’t like the competition of other birds, often knocking nestlings out of nests or attacking baby birds who can’t fly yet.

Nuisance birds they may be, they go where opportunity presents itself and take what they can get. They are truly striking to look at. I can think about some people we read about in tabloids who might fit this description.