As long as we had a huge Aleppo pine on the property, we had a colony of great-tailed grackles living with us. They loved to roost at the top of that tree. I soon learned that they made excellent "guard birds" because they alerted me every time a stranger stepped foot on "their" territory.
The photo above shows Vincent in all his glory. He was a very vain bird who ensured that his feathers were always at their best. And in case you're wondering, I named him after Vincent Price, the star of my favorite scary movie.
Denis and I both miss these former residents.
Nice to see that lovely picture of Vincent, Cathy. I always like it when I see the same critters hanging around our place. Crows, phoebes, even feral cats. They feel like neighbors just as the humans who live near us do.
ReplyDeleteYes, they do... although I draw the line at our feral cats that try their best to kill as many of the birds as possible.
DeleteVincent has the most beautiful colors in his feathers. Love them and thanks for sharing with us, Cathy!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Kay.
DeleteHe's gorgeous! I love grackles, though none really live by me.
ReplyDeleteThe grackles here used to try soaking their pecans in the swimming pool until I moved in and put out birdbaths. Then they used the birdbaths for soaking. Made it much easier to get the pecans back out of the water!
DeleteWe used to have Common as well as Great-tailed Grackles visiting our feeders in abundance and often bullying the other birds. But they don't come here any more. I'm not sure why.
ReplyDeleteI've read about grackles moving their territories around, but I can't remember the reason that was given.
DeleteGreat photo! I enjoy the birds around my neighborhood too, but have yet to attempt to catch any of them by camera.
ReplyDeleteI only started trying it when digital cameras came out. You can take a lot of shots before you get one decent one, and the cost of film was prohibitive on my budget.
Deletei can't believe I finally got into Google. It's been over a month of trying. Lovely bird. A guard bird. Great. Too bad they are gone.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Kathy!
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