This spring I declared war on the grackles and I’m doing about as well in my fight against these seed-thieving varmints as Putin is in Ukraine. But they’re not winning either, so I declare it a draw.
They usually show up in mid-March: 5 or 6 of the black devils, followed by 50 more. I must have the only feeders on the north side of Charlottesville, and they sniff ‘em out.
But…..
This year, I put safflower in my main feeder as soon as the flocks arrived, and grackles don’t like safflower seeds. I also switched to smaller, fly-through bowl feeders as supplements so my songbirds could have sunflower hearts. Still, I always scatter seeds on the ground for the snowbirds, doves, and sparrows, and naturally the grackles (and squirrels) got into that.
After a few weeks, the hordes of grackles fly off to nest, but 8 or 10 stick around and nest close by. I tried hanging up a $5 peanut suet log and they mowed that down in a day.
I watched them as they would peck off a chunk and fly nearly a quarter mile to feed their young.
Soon, however, the grackles will have raised all the young that the crows didn’t eat, and they will leave. But for four long months, they sure make my life miserable.