(aka what I’m terming a “Grack Attack”)
Gike writes in…
There are 100’s of birds going crazy around our house on Garden Lane. What’s the deal? Anyone know what these birds are and what they are up to? Maybe they are just trying to stay warm.
Aren’t they generally grackles?
But hey, I’m not one to identify or explain the behavioral patterns of our feathered friends, however maybe Bruce at “Birding Decatur, Ga” could enlighten us!
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I’ve also been noticing huge congregations of these birds over on N. Candler: http://www.flickr.com/photos/romanlily/4244755422/
I’d love to be enlightened about what these gatherings mean!
I believe they mean that the end times are nigh.
They are patient and crafty, those birds…
I hear they like eyeballs.
We were wondering about this same phenom yesterday— happened to look up from sofa to back yard, and there were all kinds of black birds swirling in the air. Then I noticed how many were parked in the trees. They didn’t stay long, maybe a few minutes. Really glad I got to see it. Seems early for any kind of migration?
On a happier note (think Snow White), we’ve got a TON of Eastern Bluebirds on our feeder. Absolutely delightful. Definitely less ominous.
Are you sure they aren’t zombies?
Any Milla Jovovich fan knows that these birds are precursors to a zombie attack.
If the bird’s eyes are glowing like a red LED, they are actually zombie birds that have been infected by eating dead-zombie eyes. Consider yourself forewarned and approach the birds with caution after donning zombie-bird resistant glasses which are available at most stores specializing in zombie-resistant (not proof) apparel.
Whatever you do, do not watch a certain Hitchcock movie any time soon.
The Birds was on TV yesterday, but I was too afeard to watch.
We noticed a huge congregation of these birds in and around the Atlanta Friends Meeting parking lot on W. Howard yesterday. I hope they haven’t come for the Quakers!
I noticed the same thing yesterday near my house (Lansdowne Ave – near the Friends Meeting house mentioned above). Seemed like a lot more than 100 to me, more like 500 to 1000 in my guesstimate.
Do you suppose the birds sit in their trees at Terrific Thursdays or Concerts on the Square and wonder why all the people are in a big noisy flock?
I saw roughly 1000 of them hanging out in front of the rec center and the library (on Sycamore)- literally the entire yard was covered! I have pictures- wish I could attach them!!
Send ‘em to Margaret and I’ll put them in the post above!
According to wikipedia they’re omnivores and hopefully they’re feasting on the local rat population.
Or people’s eyeballs.
I observed what looked like thousands of birds by the Ace near North Decatur Road. Not sure if they’re the same ones. But we did spot at least 50 of the aforementioned birds in our tiny Feld Avenue backyard a few weeks back. They were pecking around looking for food. We took the bird feeder out b/c the squirrels kept eating the food and chewed two holes into our attic, where they made a nest.
Near where I used to live over on Sycamore Drive there was a huge holly tree. Apparently a bird announcement went out when the holly berries were ripe, because one day the tree would be full of berries, the next day there would be hundreds, maybe thousands of birds (grackles, red-wing blackbirds and robins, generally) feasting on the berries, and within a day or two there wasn’t a berry to be seen on the tree. I’m guessing this is a similar phenomenon.
Seems like I used to see such aggregations almost yearly around this time of year when I lived in Oakhurst.
Maybe a Gracklefest is in order for downtown? Grackeria Del Sol? Little Shop of Grackles? Gouging Grackles of Decatur? Cakes and Grackle?
A little late to the party here – they’ve been around during December as well; they may have run for it with the deep freeze.
Wikipedia says: This bird is a permanent resident in much of its range. Northern birds migrate in flocks to the southeastern United States.
The Common Grackle forages on the ground, in shallow water or in shrubs; it will steal food from other birds. It is omnivorous, eating insects, minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, seeds, grain and even small birds.
Along with some other species of grackles, the common grackle is known to practice “anting,” rubbing insects on its feathers to apply liquids such as formic acid secreted by the insects.
This bird’s song is particularly harsh, especially when these birds, in a flock, are calling.
The range of this bird expanded west as forests were cleared. In some areas, it is now considered a pest by farmers because of their large numbers and fondness for grain. A large group of grackles is called a plague. Despite a currently robust population, a recent study by the National Audubon Society of data from the Christmas Bird Count indicated that populations had declined by 61% to a population of 73 million from historic highs of over 190 million birds.[1]