The gas pumps’ attendant’s dark acolyte

A grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) on September 9th in Austin (which I’m still far away from).

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

They’re back again too

For several years in a row, until about three years ago, in November and December large groups of grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) would gather at dusk each day on the power lines at the corner of US 183 and Braker Lane, then with the coming of darkness settle into adjacent trees to spend the night alongside the noisy highway. For whatever reason, the birds returned to their former haunt and habits in January of this year. Here’s a view of the spectacle at the southwest quadrant of that intersection on January 23rd. Last night I noticed many fewer grackles there, so perhaps the birds are already moving on.

© 2016 Steven Schwartzman

From Whole Foods to Central Market: Ketchup, mustard, water, and a grackle

The last time you saw a grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus, it was one I photographed on the ground outside the Gateway Whole Foods on June 29th. On September 21st I found myself sitting on the patio behind the Central Market on N. Lamar, where I saw more grackles than on the visit to Whole Foods. At one point a woman at a nearby table stood up and walked away to get something, and within seconds this grackle flew in to see what it could find to eat. Bold birds, these grackles.

In case you’re wondering whether this was a one-legged grackle, it wasn’t. The bird’s left foot was in the tray, whose rim blocked it from view at this angle, just as part of the bird’s right leg concealed part of its left.

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman

Grackle with head up

The Whole Foods parking lot is a good place to see great-tailed grackles, Quiscalus mexicanus, and on June 29th I found this one on the ground by the picnic tables just outside the Gateway store. Birds of this species seem to like sticking their heads up into the air to try to lord it over any would-be rival, which is what this grackle might have taken me for. Or maybe it mistook my camera, with its long lens, for the rival.

If you’d like to read a lighthearted and informative article about grackles, here’s one from Texas Monthly by John Nova Lomax entitled “Eight Reasons Grackles Are Awesome.”

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman