Out of the Blue

Somewhere along the way I recently figured out that the murder of crows haunting our backyard from the dead birch tree are not actually crows at all. It turns out they are grackles, which explains why they do not make the racket cawing that the local crows do (and also why they are not as giant as the crows). It still makes for a cool and haunting vista, but it would be cooler if I could still refer to them as a murder. I poked around to see if a flock of grackles has a specific Middle English collective name, but they don't seem to have one, so I'll have to make one up. For now I'll borrow gaggle from geese. Gaggle of grackles has a certain ring.

Gaggle of Links: Thanks Ant and Mike Martinez and Acleacius.
Play: Paul and Percy.
Rollercoaster Creator 2.
Wizard Hult.
Links: 5 Comic Superheroes Who Made A Real-World Difference.
Stories: MGM Reboots 80's Classic "Wargames".
Europe's ATV space freighter burns up.
Science: Eat more nuts and fruit to 'help weight loss'.
Human eye protein senses Earth's magnetism.
Images: A Gallery of Portals in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Thanks nin.
Media: The Office Recut as an 80's Sitcom.
Be amazed by Polish superiority.
Coffee: The Greatest Addiction Ever.
View : : :
6.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Jun 25, 2011, 16:04
6.
Re: Out of the Blue Jun 25, 2011, 16:04
Jun 25, 2011, 16:04
 

This web site is pretty good. It even has the sounds they make. I only see the word "flock" used though.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Grackle/lifehistory
Avatar 55452
Date
Subject
Author
1.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
7.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
2.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
3.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
4.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
 6.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
  Re: Out of the Blue
5.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
8.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
9.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
10.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
11.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
12.
Jun 25, 2011Jun 25 2011
13.
Jun 26, 2011Jun 26 2011
14.
Jun 26, 2011Jun 26 2011