your tree and/or bird feeder. We never had grackles in this area when I was growing up. Would have been good targets for BB guns. Because of the overall change in weather, they are now part of the landscape. I hate these things - they are always chasing other birds away, stealing food meant for other birds, and they make an awful squawking sound.
We have an oak tree about 20 feet or so from our deck (where we spend a lot of our down time) that has a bird bath under it and a squirrel proof feeder hanging from it. One (at least) of the local grackles has figured out that they can hang from the feeder's perch long enough to get some seed and spill more on the ground so they can get it. We also had a young one hanging out in our tree squawking constantly for attention, which of course drew adults. After spending the night trying to sleep whilst it was squawking all night, I knew I had to do something. The next day I was out watering plants and I washed out the birdbath with the jet function on my hose sprinkler. The damn grackles were in the tree, so I turned the water jet on them. You should have heard the squawking as several of them burst from the tree.
Ha, ha, I had figured it out. We immediately ordered a 'burst' type squirt gun that would shoot 26'. Thank you China for the squirt gun, and thank you Amazon for the next day delivery. Now whenever they try to get in the feeder and I am on the deck, I blast them with the squirt gun. What a riot! Shooting practice whist ridding us of the damn grackles. Several days of this and we are now mostly grackle free. No shooting with BB gun in town, the neighbors all cheer me on!
We have an oak tree about 20 feet or so from our deck (where we spend a lot of our down time) that has a bird bath under it and a squirrel proof feeder hanging from it. One (at least) of the local grackles has figured out that they can hang from the feeder's perch long enough to get some seed and spill more on the ground so they can get it. We also had a young one hanging out in our tree squawking constantly for attention, which of course drew adults. After spending the night trying to sleep whilst it was squawking all night, I knew I had to do something. The next day I was out watering plants and I washed out the birdbath with the jet function on my hose sprinkler. The damn grackles were in the tree, so I turned the water jet on them. You should have heard the squawking as several of them burst from the tree.
Ha, ha, I had figured it out. We immediately ordered a 'burst' type squirt gun that would shoot 26'. Thank you China for the squirt gun, and thank you Amazon for the next day delivery. Now whenever they try to get in the feeder and I am on the deck, I blast them with the squirt gun. What a riot! Shooting practice whist ridding us of the damn grackles. Several days of this and we are now mostly grackle free. No shooting with BB gun in town, the neighbors all cheer me on!
