This morning at 9:30am , while walking around Sam Peach park in Puyallup, I noticed a small flock of crows foraging on the large grassy area made slushy by over watering / poor drainage. I noticed one of the crows had a really long tail, then realized it was a grackle. I didn't have my binocs, but am 100% sure it was a grackle, and 95% sure it was a male great-tailed, because of the long tail, and its size being almost as large as the crows. After I watched for a few minutes, the birds all took off and flew over the trees toward the river. The grackle made a couple of typical chek or kek calls as it took off, which could have been made by a common grackle, too. The bird made none of the weird sounds that great=taileds often make. I have seen many of both species in the past, and feel sure the bird was a great-tailed grackle, but it would be nice if someone else could find it, and verify the identification.

Thanks,
Gary Sogard
gsbssstg at msn.com