REAL SUMMERLIN

At 7:15 PM every evening I break up bread that I have purchased at Von’s in Town Center for $1.19 a loaf. Or I break up left over hot dog buns or hamburger buns. I Then put them outside for the mysterious black birds that seem to be every where in our neighborhoods. What are these birds? Grackles a kin to the blackbird and crow.

If you drive by the trees about twilight time, at the corner of Del Webb and Lake Mead or the trees right around Town Center you will hear a chatter that sounds like a scene out of The Birds. It is a whole group of Grackles just chattering up a storm. My mom and I always say they are talking over what has happened to them that day. Maybe the best places to pick up food. They must talk about us a lot because we have a growing number show up at 7:15 PM. They know too. If I am a few minutes late they fly over where I can see them out the door.

There is the Great Tailed Grackle which is most common around here. The Common Grackle and Boat Tailed Grackle.

Some facts about Grackles as written by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology all about birds

• The Common Grackle commonly engages in anting, allowing ants to crawl on its body and secrete formic acid, possibly to rid the body of parasites. In addition to ants, it has been seen using walnut juice, lemons and limes, marigold blossoms, choke cherries, and mothballs in a similar fashion.
• The Common Grackle has benefited from human activities. The clearing of the Eastern forests was to its liking. The expansion of agriculture, along with the use of mechanical crop harvesters, improved overwinter survival by increasing the supply of waste grain. In the West, the Common Grackle has moved into new areas by following the planting of ornamental trees.
• Some people think these birds are nothing but a pain but I love feeding them and talking to them.
• They also have very noisy children, eggs hatch in 14 days and the babies can fly with in two- three weeks. They are like spoiled brats especially the male of them.

These bottom two pictures are from Lani @ gosinglepointe realty in Austin Tx.