I like.... birds.

[elanya]

Spring is here!

I used to live Up North and spring was simple. When you saw a Robin - that was spring!

The a moved to North Carolina. That is where the robins all go in the winter, and this was very confusing!

Now I am living in Texas. Do you know what we have in Texas? We have colonies of cardinals, and I see them all the time! They are super pretty. They used to be a rare winter treat bird. I hope I don't start taking them for granted though. So pretty birds!

So now what does spring mean? Spring is when the grackles get horny. And, let me tell you, horny grackles make some damned weird sounds.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

....that's only the half of it!

This video (below) gives you a taste of juuuuust how creepy they can be. I can't decide if I think they're annoying, creepy, gross, fascinating, or some combination :V For the money shot, skip ahead to about the 4 min mark.

"Band Of Skulls - Bruises" (Watch on YouTube)

Comments

[longpig.livejournal.com]

I did not realize that robins in the UK are completely different from North American robins. Ours back home are bigger and more angular, here they are small and round and much much cuter. Semi-random bird trivia of the day.

[rumor-esq.livejournal.com]

This reminds of how I knew Spring had arrived in Edmonton because the pigeons would start having sex on my balcony. At 5:30 in the morning.

[aghrivaine.livejournal.com]

Grackles are the state bird of Pennsylvania, where I grew up. I always liked them because of their strangely iridescent black feathers. I used to date a girl who had dyed her hair just the same color, and I would sometimes call her gracklehead, which for some reason, she didn't like.

We never got them in the numbers you apparently do. For that, we had starlings, which would come in flocks that would blot out the sky, literally - and who my grandfather hated passionately because starling poo was hard to clean off his car.

[elanya.livejournal.com]

Yeah - these are a different kind of grackle (great tailed grackles) I think than you would get in PA (from what I've read anyway), but they are still pretty and iridescent!

They are commonly hated for much the same reasons though :x

[rumor-esq.livejournal.com]

Do you have chickadees around the 'Chi? They made the most distinctive bird call I remember from where I grew up. I don't hear them here in the city.

[rumor-esq.livejournal.com]

Although killdeers run a close second for the distinctive birdcall from Sask.

[springmaker.livejournal.com]

Hey when did you move to Texas? Doesn't sound like your sort of place. I'm in Richardson, Dallas on Sunday and Monday night. Are you anywhere near or do you have any advise on what's good to see around there?