ML619398046

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Cedar Island pavilion lawn. For those who may still debate the difference between a boat-tailed grackle and a common grackle, there are a few field marks that clinch the ID. First, there are many, many long-tailed common grackles, which, especially this time of year, like to cock them and strut to show off. They can often look quite impressive. And oftentimes, a big common grackle is standing next to some smaller ones, that, by sheer comparison, makes it look larger. Make no mistake, just because a grackle is bigger and has a longer tail does not make it a boat-tail. More than once at the park have I been standing next to someone, eager to pull the trigger on the boat-tail ID, just because it is a bigger, showier grackle. But a solid ID is possible. In the case of these two grackles spotted on Cedar Island pavilion lawn, it was their distinct calls that first made us turn to them. So that is one sure field mark. As for their appearance, female boat-tailed grackles are distinctly colored, sorta like a ghostly grackle or one that has sat out too long on a sunny windowsill and faded. And a good place to see them regularly in this area is at Clinton Town Beach, where they nest. But do it soon, if you plan to go, as that beach charged non-residents $75 a day to park last year. As for the males, the iridescent blueness that extends down the length of the robust body of the boat-tailed grackle is very distinct from the common grackles iridescent head that abruptly stops against their black bodies. The colorful shimmer of the common grackle seems to stop at their chest and nape, where on a boat-tailed grackle their shimmery coloration extends down their back to their tail. One common misconception is that the boat-tail has a keeled tail. Well, they do, as do the common grackles. So a keel in the tail alone is not enough to clinch an ID. But their voice and coloration can be definitive, in addition to their size. :)

Technical information

Model

NIKON D5200

ISO

400

Flash

Flash did not fire

Dimensions

2378 pixels x 1531 pixels

Original file size

566.44 KB