I spent a couple of hours in Stanwood today looking for the Grackle and
never located it. I parked behind the Police station and walked on all
sides of the Feed and Seed finding only starlings, Rock Doves and
Glaucous Winged Gulls. (not counting various sparrows in a marshy field
South of the Feed lot. I didn't see any Blackbirds until I was leaving
and then only a couple of Brewer's Blackbirds. I also drove around
Stanwood checking out fields, wires and telephone poles. I drove up to
Eide Road and saw many Blackbirds in the fields way out but didn't
locate the Grackle. Just not my day but frustrating because of so many
who said this bird was so easy to locate.

Yvonne Bombardier
Everett, Wa
ravenn at premier1.net
___________________________________________________

Michael Dossett wrote:
>
> Hi Tweets,
>
> I just thought I would mention this to those who plan
> on looking for the Great-tailed Grackle.
>
> This bird does seem to move around a bit. Each time I
> have gone up to see it, there was a Cooper's hawk in
> the trees across the street from the feed and seed,
> and one of the times there were 2 Cooper's hawks
> there. If the Cooper's hawks don't have the whole
> flock spooked, then some of the birds may be disturbed
> by activity at the feed and seed (especially during
> the week).
>
> If you can't find the grackle at the feed and seed
> right away try looking around the wires in
> neighborhood just to the west. When I saw the grackle
> on Monday, he was actually on the wires above the
> Pioneer Highway, came into the feed and seed for only
> about 30 seconds and then went back to the wires to
> the west. This is the only time I saw him at that
> location. Another place where he can sometimes be
> found is on the wires along the railroad tracks to the
> north. Often several hundred yards north of the feed
> and seed.
>
> Very cool bird though...
>
> Good Luck,
>
> Michael Dossett
> Bothell
> Phainopepla at yahoo.com
>
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