(According to Wikipedia, a large group of grackles is called a “plague.”)
It is most definitely that special time of year…and I’m not talking about the Christmas season – It’s the “Season of the Grackles.” Apparently, this obnoxious cousin to the crow prefers the southern states, and so, every year between October and November they make their locust-like migration.
I can be driving along a major thoroughfare when suddenly, while sitting at an intersection, I notice the sky has darkened and I think to myself, “maybe it’s going to rain?” I would be wrong.
What I realize instead, as I look up towards the sky, is that a Hitchcock-worthy invasion has begun.
The grackles solidly cover every roof top, light pole and telephone wire for at least four square miles. It’s an unsettling scene to say the least and since the intentions of these birds is still unclear; I am reluctant to leave the safety of my vehicle in order to get a more panoramic view. In fact, most Texans have learned the value of keeping an inflatable Tippy Hedren in the car just in case we need a diversion getting to the mailbox.
Did you know that In the state of Texas, it is considered a crime to kill migratory birds? Seems like some sort of bastardization of the Amnesty Law – because the way I see it, these birds are breaking some laws of their own. Loitering, destruction of property, illegal crossing of borders – why the preferential treatment? It’s not like they, and their kin showed up with passports in hand at the Ellis Island check point or something…. and why? Because they’re birds!
No worries though. In Texas, we have a way around these small details. Most of the grackles, due to a diet of french fries from a McDonald’s parking lot and the occasional cigarette butt, end up dying of natural causes. The rest… have very “unfortunate accidents.”
