[CT Birds] grackles around?

[Tammy Eustis]

I did see one grackle at our feeders over the weekend. 
Your question prompted me to look back at my results from past years of Project Feederwatch. Most years, we have 2-3 grackles on average at the feeders, here and there throughout the winter (most in Nov/Dec and appearing again - in large flocks - in March). But we had a couple of "bumpercrop" years: 2000-2001, where we had 30 individuals on average at the feeder, showing up in 17 of the 20 weeks that I counted. That was the biggest year for grackles. Second largest count was in 2005-2006, with 60 individuals on average showing up in 10 out of 16 weeks. 2006-2007 was a "normal" year, with the occasional individual.
So maybe there's a 5-year cycle with grackle populations; which would make this an "off year". But rest assured that there are some around here and there, so your hardy individual would not be alone. It will most likely find a feeder and settle in, until the teeming hordes come back through in the spring.
- Tammy Eustis, Chester, CT

-----Original Message-----
From: recoverywing at cox.net [mailto:recoverywing at cox.net]
Sent: Tuesday, December 4, 2007 01:39 PM
To: ctbirds at lists.ctbirding.org
Subject: [CT Birds] grackles around?

I have a grackle that I would love to let go. Does anyone know of any still around? They have left my area as far as I know, haven't seen any in a few weeks now.

Jayne Amico/Southington

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