A Brief Grackle Invasion

Just came inside from watching a huge flock of grackles feeding in the yard. They do not often appear in the hollow. Although these are big, noisy, ugly birds, I have fond memories of them.

I lived in a small town before I moved to the hollow. Every spring, a large group of grackles came to the ravine next to my house to nest. The consumption of bird seed went way up. Fortunately, they left as soon as their fledglings were ready to travel. But it was worth the aggravation of their noise and appetite to see the fledglings' temper tantrums.

The parents stopped feeding the youngsters when they could fly. The young birds would come to the feeding area with their parents. When the parents wouldn't give them food, they would jump up and down while making an awful racket. The parent birds would occasionally poke something in their mouths to shut them up, but it didn't last for long. The young birds quickly learned that they would get more food if they picked it up themselves.