Stopping for gas in Colby, Kansas, this afternoon, I encountered a massive flock of great-tailed grackles that had taken over the property of a local motel. Covering the lawns and much of the roof, the grackles were also sitting on cars and the surrounding areas of pavement. It looked like a scene from a Stephen King novel.
Increasingly common across the Great Plains and Desert Southwest, great-tailed grackles are routinely observed at rest stops. Come autumn, they gather in massive flocks, improving their search for food and diminishing their risk of predation. Like most other blackbirds, they are omnivorous, consuming insects, seeds, waste grain, berries and human "handouts." Today's flock easily exceeded a thousand individuals; they may have been drawn to the site by stunned insects since a cold front just dropped through the Front Range and Great Plains.
Even though we tend to dismiss "blackbirds" when it comes to birdwatching and nature study, they play an important role, especially with regard to insect control. Whether one appreciates or despises grackles, today's gathering was quite a spectacle.
