It was a scene reminiscent of the Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds” today on this 15 degree, sunny morning. When I first arrived, there were at least 100 grackles feeding on the ground, perching in the trees or bathing in the stream.
In addition, a group of about 6 Red-tailed Hawks flew over several times and we frequently heard their “keeer-r-r” calls from overhead.
Species list: double-crested cormorant, great egret, Canada goose, mallard, American black duck, common merganser, red-tailed hawk, herring gull, belted kingfisher, blue jay, American crow, common raven, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, American robin, golden-crowned kinglet, house sparrow, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, northern cardinal. (21 species)
Some botany:
Park scenes:
This morning’s group:
NATURE POETRY
O sweet September rain!
I hear it fall upon the garden beds,
Freshening the blossoms which begin to wane. – Mortimer Collins (1827–76)
Miles Hearn