Four Calling Birds? No, It's Several Thousand Grackles

     The best Christmas gifts are unique experiences.  A flock of about a gazillion grackles passed through the neighborhood this Christmas day.  What a present.
     Grackles are over-sized blackbirds.  They appear to be black from a distance, but close up they are irridescent green, turquiose, and purple.  Males and females are similar in appearance. They travel in large groups and eat just about anything.  Our hoard of grackles picked through the lawn, I imagine, eating every bug and seed in sight.  Farmers don't like grackles because the birds raid fields and steal grain and seeds.  Interestingly, a flock of grackles is called a plague.
     So, why were we paid this visit?  It seems the warm weather is the reason.  Tens of thousands of grackles visited Franklin Township, Hunterdon County in January 2012.  They came then, and are here now, because there isn't any snow on the ground.  They go south to forage when the ground is snow covered.  http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2012/01/massive_flock_of_birds_has_bee.html
   

This is our front lawn and the lawn across the street.

   

The trees were full of grackles.

Excuse the blurred image.  They never stopped moving.  I wasn't sure how to stop the action using Mike's camera.

     Besides being a visual treat, the sound of all those wings flapping when they flew off was thrilling.  
     Here's more on grackles: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Grackle/id