I admit it. I thought these were Starlings until I looked at the pictures I took a few months ago of a pair of Starlings. The two birds don’t look at all alike. They are about the same size and shape, but the Grackle has fierce yellow eyes. He can look quite intimidating.

We had a bunch of these Grackles trying out the various feeders including the brand new mealworm and nut suet cakes. Mmm, yum! I was up to my elbows in Bolognese sauce and refused to be distracted. Finally, when I put it up to simmer, I went for my camera. Those blue-headed Grackles had been around for hours. The minute I picked up my camera — you guessed it — they flew away.

When this beauty returned, I got some pictures, He was in a hurry and I was shooting with a 300 mm lens fully extended, the birds are half in focus. The depth of field gets really shallow with long zooms.

Categories: #Birds, #gallery, #Photography, Blackstone Valley, Grackle, Nature, New England

Tags: #Photography, birds, Grackle, Marilyn Armstrong, Starling