Goodbye and good riddance to the flocks of grackles that have invaded my yard and decimated my feeders since late March. Slowly but surely, their numbers have diminished. Now, there are just a few remaining that pound my sunflower heart feeder and they will soon be gone.
Grackles are more of a marsh-oriented bird, but they come inland to breed and nest during April, May and June. Their nesting is about complete, then they go away for 7 or 8 months.
It wouldn’t be so bad if there were just 8 or 10, but they arrive in droves and chase songbirds from my feeders, and they eat like gluttons.
Lots of birds are now visiting my sunflower heart feeder, since they can actually feed those fruit-like seeds to their babies. I saw a mother catbird at that feeder just this morning.
The grackles could just about empty a feeder in a single day. Wherever they go, I wish they would stay there.