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The Garrulous Grackle?

During one of our quotidian rides to the bakery and coffee shop, these noisy birds caught my attention. So did their silhouette. Subscription prices and advertising income are a bit low for this blog, so I can't keep a paid birder on staff. If anybody has a guesses about what kind of birds they are, please speak up.

The garrulity of birds is always fun to capture "on film". It makes them look more sentient and intelligent. It's also satisfying to use the camera to invoke the feel of other senses, such as sound in this case.


Comments

Steve said…
They look like a couple of male Great-tailed Grackles. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great-tailed_Grackle/lifehistory/ac

Here in the urban southwest they have become garbage birds and a local outside dining area cannot keep sugar packets on the tables because of them. Kind of fun to watch when they do get one left on a table. They do know the different color of packets and prefer the white with real sugar and abstain the blue sugar substitute.
Steve
Anonymous said…
Yep. Grackles. They are here in Central America - actually everywhere we've visited. What a cacophony! Scamp
Thanks Steve and Scamp for your help. I have a long way to go in the bird business.
Steve said…
One ID method that always works (although not precise) is use the short form. In this case the ID would be LBB (Large Black Bird). A mockingbird would be a MGB (Medium Gray Bird).
The net is a good resource if you are interested. The site listed above is good for birds and http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740 works for the crawly things.
Ounce for ounce the Verdin is the noisy bird I know. For their size they do vocalize.