I spent a good portion of my morning making this. Time well spent, indeed. This is the kind of shit that pops into my head when I'm lying awake in bed. Though, if any bird could be the Batman of the bird world, I guess the common grackle would fit the bill. <pause for laughter> Or, as I called them until recently, crows. I'm continuously identifying new birds that have been right in front of me the whole time. My trusty guide, Birding For Beginners: Northeast, has been instrumental in that endeavor.
Common Grackle
These large, migratory blackbirds are starting to return from their long winter vacation. This one doesn't look too pleased with all of the snow. Join the club, pal. What makes this bird so easy to identify are it's bright, golden eyes. Common grackles also have a blueish sheen on their heads.
This one was visiting my suet feeder looking for something to peck at. Or, maybe it was interested in the berries hanging from the tree. A common grackle has stronger muscles for opening it's mouth than for closing it. This makes it's long bill ideal for prying apart crevices to find hidden insects.
American Robin
The American robin doesn't always migrate south for the winter. However, I hadn't seen any until around the first of March. Now, I see them everywhere. A robin's diet consists mostly of earthworms, insects, and berries. This male robin was busy pulling the red berries from these branches and dropping them on the ground.
Wherever we are, we are surrounded by nature. It's always trying to communicate with us. Take time to notice. #NoticeNature.
All gifs and images are my own unless otherwise stated.
Join the family...
Beautiful photos!
You know an image works when the viewer can hear the sound effect in their head. 😄 Love that fearless head on stare from the grackle. There's a blackbird armed and ready with a natural toolkit. Bonus points for not even needing a mansion, butler, and secret lair. 😜
Wonder if the berries Robin was dropping on the ground were going to be for a juggling act later? 😁
I thought all birds had secret lairs. I see a them everywhere but I don't see any nests. Weird.
And I don't care what the robin does with those berries just as long as he picks up after himself.
We appreciate your work and your post has been manually curated by zoology team (oscurity,nelinoeva) on behalf of Amazing Nature Community. Keep up the good work!
beautiful photos thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much!
photos of the feathered are always welcome
We appreciate your work and your post was manually curated by @none! from the DNA team!
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Thanks a lot!