Roscoe The Tame Grackle Is Back

Really nice shooting Mitch and I'll agree on them being real skittish..

Thanks Woody. I know, when they mob up, they can be real pests, but I only have Roscoe for most of the summer. Att he end of summer, I will have a dozen or so that will hang out for a few days before heading South.

Thanks Norman. Yes, most of them are skittish and will fly off at the first sight of me in the window here. But this guy grew up with me talking to him, so I guess he accepts me. It's pretty cool.

Another nice series Mitch. Like the way the blue shows up on Grackle.

Thanks George. Grackles have always been one of my favorites. Very nice birds.

Thanks so much canonloader. I know now that my Kitchi can come back next spring. I picked him up before he opened his eyes, and months later saw him leave south when we was a grown-up beautiful bird. He used to sit on our shoulders for half hour almost every evening before going with his flock to roost for the night. Kitchi - my dearest bird.
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Grackles are nervous birds, but it is part of their makeup. They are also extremely intelligent birds as you must have seen by now. because they are able to overcome their instictual nervousnes and come to a human. As a baby, he probably imprinted on you, so that helped. When he comes back in the spring, it may take him some time to become tame again though, just guessing by what I have seen and read of others that have raised wild birds. Post again when he comes back. I would like to know how he does.

Will sure do. My wife and I helped him to be as much independent as possible without too much risk of him getting lost before he can live on his own. With time, he and I developed some deep understanding without words. Like, "Hide! You are way too much exposed for hawks." And he would run or flew under a shrub the next second. Just a thought that was - I did not say anything and there were no hawks around - but he was indeed too far from cover. And then, this is my favorite, while Kitchi is sitting on my shoulder one evening "Why didn't you bite at my ear for the whole week? And he bites my ear the very next second. I can go on... How he used to look for approval and a nod or a glance would do. Or later on when he grew up, how he insisted he knew better and would fly over to land on your palm just to bite you at a finger immediately..

Have you seen Roscoe again since 2010?

Grackles have a language. You can listen to them talking to each other if you are out of site and they think they are alone. They are very smart, and may even learn to speak. Blue Jays can learn to speak and crows too, they can learn as good as a parrot. Even Starlings. Go on Youtube sometime and search for pet starlings or pet grackles.

Yes, Roscoe comes back here every year and now he has his kids and grandkids coming every year. They know where there will always be food. They come here first in the spring, cause there will be food when there are no bugs out yet and the last thing before they fly South, they come by again for a week or two.

canonloader wrote in post #16480726
Grackles have a language. You can listen to them talking to each other if you are out of site and they think they are alone. They are very smart, and may even learn to speak. Blue Jays can learn to speak and crows too, they can learn as good as a parrot. Even Starlings. Go on Youtube sometime and search for pet starlings or pet grackles.

Yes, Roscoe comes back here every year and now he has his kids and grandkids coming every year. They know where there will always be food. They come here first in the spring, cause there will be food when there are no bugs out yet and the last thing before they fly South, they come by again for a week or two.

I have often confused the calls of an Osprey chirping, an eagle, a Red-tailed Hawk scream, a Coopers Hawk and even a metal gate closing and the latch closing (probably the coolest call I've heard a Blue Jay make in my yard) to the actual thing and it turned out it was just a Blue Jay.

canonloader wrote in post #16480726
Grackles have a language. You can listen to them talking to each other if you are out of site and they think they are alone. They are very smart, and may even learn to speak. Blue Jays can learn to speak and crows too, they can learn as good as a parrot. Even Starlings. Go on Youtube sometime and search for pet starlings or pet grackles.

Yes, Roscoe comes back here every year and now he has his kids and grandkids coming every year. They know where there will always be food. They come here first in the spring, cause there will be food when there are no bugs out yet and the last thing before they fly South, they come by again for a week or two.

Most wonderful. So Kitchi might come back too. I have been looking for this info on the internet for a long time whether young grackles come back where they were born. I am so happy I found your wonderful posts. Before that, I though of one ornithologist's mentioning that he never caught again in his nets young grackles that he ringed. I would not come back there either.

Duane N wrote in post #16480744
I have often confused the calls of an Osprey chirping, an eagle, a Red-tailed Hawk scream, a Coopers Hawk and even a metal gate closing and the latch closing (probably the coolest call I've heard a Blue Jay make in my yard) to the actual thing and it turned out it was just a Blue Jay.

Bluejays make a very realistic Red-shouldered Hawk too.

Ha, he's very cool looking. I never got Roscoe that tame.

Yes, they always come back to their home territory. When he get's old, he might stay with you if he is indoors. He will live longer in captivity. Migration is very hard on birds, a lot of dangers and it's just hard to fly so far, wears them down.

Also, they do eat meat if you ever wonder what to feed them. I actually saw one Grackel kill and eat a Swallow. I have the pictures in the forum here somewhere. I don't think it happens often though, or other birds would not let them get close. He might love bits of hot dog or even some minnows from the bait store. They also are a water bird. Many of them hunt along the shore and even Roscoe will take a peanut from the table and carry it over to the bird bath to soak it before he eats it.

Get a dozen minnows and put them in the birdbath and see what happens. LOL

canonloader wrote in post #16483298
Ha, he's very cool looking. I never got Roscoe that tame.

Yes, they always come back to their home territory. When he get's old, he might stay with you if he is indoors. He will live longer in captivity. Migration is very hard on birds, a lot of dangers and it's just hard to fly so far, wears them down.

Also, they do eat meat if you ever wonder what to feed them. I actually saw one Grackel kill and eat a Swallow. I have the pictures in the forum here somewhere. I don't think it happens often though, or other birds would not let them get close. He might love bits of hot dog or even some minnows from the bait store. They also are a water bird. Many of them hunt along the shore and even Roscoe will take a peanut from the table and carry it over to the bird bath to soak it before he eats it.

Get a dozen minnows and put them in the birdbath and see what happens. LOL

Hullo Mitch, long time!
I have a small plastic pond and was wondering why the Goldfish were disappearing until I noticed a Grackle standing on the edge, ahhhh, never saw them catch one but when they moved on the fish quit flying away lol Also, in my little birdbath almost always the Grackles would soak a bit of corn or peanuts, not long but almost always. They are indeed very smart, used to not really like them all that much but now I look forward to them coming for a visit.

Nice captures and discussions.