Great-tailed Grackles

Great-tailed Grackles are large, noisy blackbirds with long tails and long, sturdy bills. Males have yellow eyes, glossy black plumage with blue to purple iridescence. Females are about half the size of males and are a rich brown.

Male Great-tailed Grackle Looking At… Something

By |2024-03-18T04:41:11-06:00March 18th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I took this photo of a male Great-tailed Grackle, I wondered what the grackle was looking at so intently. The grackle even seemed disturbed by what it could see.

Male Great-tailed Grackle On A February Morning

By |2024-03-17T16:57:41-06:00February 12th, 2024|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, San Juan County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This male Great-tailed Grackle caught my eye two days ago at one of my local ponds because he was displaying on a red-roofed cupola against a bright blue sky.

Male Great-tailed Grackle On A Weathervane

By |2023-10-23T04:30:05-06:00October 23rd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today, I'm sharing a photo of a male Great-tailed Grackle perched on a weathervane. I took this photo while walking down at one of my local ponds last week.

Female Great-tailed Grackle Iris Variation

By |2023-04-23T04:45:59-06:00April 23rd, 2023|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

While I photographed Common Loons at my local park this month I also took some female Great-tailed Grackle images and today I am sharing two of them.

Leucistic American Coot Photos

By |2023-08-07T03:23:19-06:00April 13th, 2023|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Over the past four months I wanted closer, better photos of the leucistic American Coot that I found on January 2nd. My patience and persistence paid off.

Great-tailed Grackle Photos After a Spring Snowstorm

By |2023-04-09T02:37:52-06:00April 9th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Taking Great-tailed Grackle photos after our recent spring snowstorm was fun. I had never seen photos of this species in the snow before I took these.

Coming Soon: Great-tailed Grackle Breeding Season

By |2023-02-21T03:48:56-07:00February 21st, 2023|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On two of my most recent walks I have seen Great-tailed Grackles. Seeing them reminded me that Great-tailed Grackle breeding season is coming soon.

Spring Male Great-tailed Grackle Portraits

By |2022-04-09T05:35:55-06:00April 9th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Yesterday morning I had fun taking spring male Great-tailed Grackle portraits because these males were displaying and not paying attention to me or my camera.

Male Great-tailed Grackle – Whatchu Lookin’ At?

By |2022-03-18T05:23:00-06:00March 18th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I photographed this Great-tailed Grackle male in a pine yesterday I was torn between focusing on taking photos of him and laughing out loud.

It Is Great-tailed Grackle Breeding Season

By |2022-03-27T03:29:24-06:00March 16th, 2022|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had a fun time at my local pond yesterday because it is Great-tailed Grackle breeding season and photographing these grackles kept me on my toes.

Christmas Day Birds 2021

By |2021-12-26T05:18:25-07:00December 26th, 2021|Categories: American Coots, Birds, California Gulls, Common Goldeneyes, Great Blue Herons, Great-tailed Grackles, Mallards, Rough-legged Hawks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I did get out to find and photograph birds on Christmas Day at Farmington Bay WMA and then later in the morning I found more closer to home.

Photographing Winter Birds

By |2024-03-13T06:24:03-06:00January 15th, 2021|Categories: American Coots, Bald Eagles, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Canvasbacks, Common Goldeneyes, Common Mergansers, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great-tailed Grackles, Mallards, Pied-billed Grebes, Redheads, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I spent a couple of hours yesterday photographing winter birds at Farmington Bay WMA and closer to home in the morning and afternoon.

Female Great-tailed Grackle Portrait In Afternoon Light

By |2022-03-15T15:39:09-06:00November 20th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This female Great-tailed Grackle was the first bird I photographed yesterday and she was so close to me that I opted to take portraits of her in the nice afternoon light at my local pond.

Male Great-tailed Grackle in Low Light Plus Battery Issues

By |2022-03-15T15:28:09-06:00May 24th, 2018|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great-tailed Grackles, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Even though the light yesterday morning wasn't optimal for bird photography I took my Mom to the Farmington Bay WMA area to show her around there, we only made it as far as Glover Pond though.

Five O’clock Great-tailed Grackle Cacophony

By |2022-03-15T15:18:33-06:00December 4th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great-tailed Grackles, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Since the freezing temperatures arrived in my neighborhood I have been listening to a five o'clock Great-tailed Grackle cacophony nightly.

Bye bye Blackbirds? The USDA is killing birds with DRC-1339

By |2022-06-18T07:31:59-06:00January 30th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Davis County, European Starlings, Florida, Great-tailed Grackles, Pinellas County, Red-winged Blackbirds, Salt Lake County, Utah, Wildlife Ethics & Etiquette, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Recently the USDA accepted responsibility for a smaller die off in South Dakota which brought to light a little known program called "Bye bye Blackbird" which uses DRC-1339, a poison that is also called an avicide.

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