Something changed around here a couple of years ago. I teach an occasional class at CSU Stanislaus in Turlock, and there is a large pond adjacent to the Science Building. I had always noticed the egrets, ducks, and geese who took up residence there, but in the last few years I noticed a new arrival, a black bird with a ridiculously audacious tail and a piercing call. I found out eventually that they were Great-tailed Grackles (
Quiscalus mexicanus) and that they were indeed a new species in the area, expanding their range from the south.
The Grackle barely ranged into southern Texas a century ago, but they do very well around irrigated fields, and thus have expanded north with agricultural development. The
"official" range map doesn't even show them as residents in the north half of the Great Valley yet, but sightings have even reached northern Oregon and Washington.
I don't know why, but the grackles remind me more of theropod dinosaurs (the raptors and other meat-eaters) more than most birds. The theropods were indeed their ancestors, as they are for all birds. Something in their vivid eyes, perhaps.
The females barely look to be the same species. They are a dull brown color and are only half the size of the males. I got a shot of one that looked like it was collecting nesting material along the pond shore. The eyes, though. The dinosaurian eyes were the same. Thanks a lot Steven Spielberg!
I know this is four years old, but today I saw some great-tailed grackles near a pond in a park in east Sonora. I had no idea what they were so looked them up when I got home. Interesting that they are expanding their range. Their black feathers shone blue in sunlight, and their calls were varied and loud. They seem like birds with lots of personality.
ReplyDeleteThere were some out at the Fresno Wastewater Treatment Facility about a year ago. First time I had seen them out there!
ReplyDeleteWe just saw two Grackles on a wall at Pismo Beach golf course
ReplyDeleteI just saw about 10 in Pismo Beach, by the golfcourse parking and trail to beach near dunes; 4 trying to drag stuff out of a garbage can.
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ReplyDeleteSaw a couple pairs of grackles 11/7/2022 at Lake Balboa, San Fernando Valley, CA one pair, male squawked at our group exercising under a picnic roof.
Only other time I saw 3-4 was at a gas station inland going S. Of LA
Seen one in Pacifica, Ca today 3/30/23
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend Saw what looked like a mated pair at a water treatment facility in San Rafael, CA yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI know that these birds were not common to the San Joaquin Valley as a kid growing up here. But they are plentiful here now. I have also noticed that Magpies are not as prevalent as they were 15 years ago.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the Yellow-billed Magpies, one of CA's very few true endemic birds, were nearly wiped out by the West Nile virus. It killed off around 90% of the species in just a few years. They have been slowly recovering their population.
ReplyDeleteI saw 3 Great Tailed Grackles near Fulkerth and 99 Hwy. I had never seen them in Turlock before!
ReplyDeleteThere’s one today we caught on our ring camera for 3 hours playing on the back of my truck looking at his reflection in my rear window. He did this for over three hours starting at 6am. Hard to sleep through camera notifications every 5 minutes. Talk about vain.
ReplyDeleteThey hang out at Lake Ralphine in Santa Rosa CA now. I think that's the most north sighting in these comments so far! These guys will be in Sac soon enough.
ReplyDeleteI spotted some in Rocklin this past weekend!
DeleteThere are a whole flock at the winco parking lot in Fresno!
DeleteI have seen a couple in tehama county. My first sighting was about 6 years ago in vina ca.
ReplyDeleteMany Great- tailed Grackles found this past Saturday (11/11/23) in the WalMart parking lot in Rocklin, California. I did a double take, because the birds were too big to be Black Birds, but looked different from Ravens and Crows. Rocklin is about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento.
ReplyDeleteSaw one in Pescadero, CA today.
ReplyDeleteA great tailed Grakle has shown up at our pond in Jamestown/Sonora. I had never seen this bird before. It has a loud call, and reminds me of a mockingbird in the sense that the call has such variety. I hope it does not interfere with the nesting red-winged blackbirds.
ReplyDeleteAll over Bakersfield Ca now , they are not even officially listed as birds in the western part of United States yet , amazing
ReplyDeleteWe have 2 on the terrace of the restaurant I work in Big Sur, on the coast! They've been here for about 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a flock developing in the Westlake district of Daly City, CA.
ReplyDeleteI saw some in a parking lot on June 1st @ G4C9+P99 Turlock, California
ReplyDeleteAbout 6 years ago I saw an unusual bird in Las Vegas within a couple of years where I live in Stonyford, California out at the lake, which is called East Park reservoir. I saw the exact same bird, looked it up and found out that it is a great tailed gackle.
ReplyDeleteI am in Lincoln, Ca. and I believe this is a first in my neighborhood. This week I caught 2 of them 'storing' berries/seeds where the base of the fronds join the trunk of my Pindo Palm. A friend stated she had seen one, didn't know what it was, neither did I. We found them here.
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