{"id":117332,"date":"2023-10-23T04:30:05","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T10:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=117332"},"modified":"2023-10-23T04:30:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T10:30:05","slug":"male-great-tailed-grackle-on-a-weathervane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/10\/23\/male-great-tailed-grackle-on-a-weathervane\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Great-tailed Grackle On A Weathervane"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I’m sharing a photo of a male Great-tailed Grackle perched on a weathervane. I took this photo while walking down at one of my local ponds last week.<\/p>\n

\"Great-tailedGreat-tailed Grackle male perched on a weathervane \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1250, ISO 640, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The bass weathervane is broken; the bass should be attached at the highest point of the spindle but has fallen down to the ball above the directionals. Even though it is broken, I think the bass weathervane makes for an interesting perch.<\/p>\n

The disbelieving expression of the grackle almost mirrors mine when I look at the local weather forecast about three times a day.<\/p>\n

Yeah, yeah, I know, I am anthropomorphizing.<\/p>\n

The grackle was simply looking at a female grackle walking around on the roof of the building below the male. But his expression does seem to look like he doesn’t believe what he is seeing.<\/p>\n

\"1010 day forecast, October 23, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n

I check the 10-day weather forecast<\/span><\/a> when I wake up in the morning, again around noon, and then between 5 and 6 pm. Lately, the forecast changes every time I look at it. Weather is a significant factor for me as a photographer because I prefer good lighting, and whether I go out into the field is determined by the weather.<\/p>\n

Just yesterday morning there was no snow in the forecast for Salt Lake City this coming week. Now there is. When I check the weather forecast later today, that might change. The forecast seems as broken as the weathervane this grackle was perched on.<\/p>\n

I can count on some sunshine today according to the hourly forecast. I’ll hopefully be heading out into the field this morning but first I am going to check some traffic cameras, the radar, and satellite views.\u00a0 It is hard to trust the weather forecasts.<\/p>\n

Perhaps I’ll throw all caution to the winds, north, east, south, and west, and go without checking another thing.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Great-tailed Grackle photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, I’m sharing a photo of a male Great-tailed Grackle perched on a weathervane. I took this photo while walking down at one of my local ponds last week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,426,709,26],"tags":[4004,970,14501,3483,14378,4101,4620,5948,4779,4780,2429,4062,10698,4104,4778,4018,8018,14502,12839],"class_list":["post-117332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-great-tailed-grackles","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-autumn","tag-bass-weathervane","tag-blackbirds","tag-city-park","tag-clouds","tag-fall","tag-forecast","tag-grackle","tag-grackles","tag-great-tailed-grackle","tag-male","tag-park","tag-perched","tag-quiscalus-mexicanus","tag-sky","tag-urban","tag-weatherforecast","tag-weathervane"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/great-tailed-grackle-weathervane-mia-mcpherson-4417.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-uws","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":108155,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/11\/20\/great-tailed-grackle-and-a-weathervane\/","url_meta":{"origin":117332,"position":0},"title":"Great-tailed Grackle And A Weathervane","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On a recent walk around my local pond, I heard the call of a male Great-tailed Grackle. When I found it, I giggled out loud because of where it was perched.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Great-tailed Grackle and weathervane, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-tailed-grackle-male-weathervane-mia-mcpherson-3615.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-tailed-grackle-male-weathervane-mia-mcpherson-3615.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-tailed-grackle-male-weathervane-mia-mcpherson-3615.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-tailed-grackle-male-weathervane-mia-mcpherson-3615.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":120872,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/12\/male-great-tailed-grackle-on-a-february-morning\/","url_meta":{"origin":117332,"position":1},"title":"Male Great-tailed Grackle On A February Morning","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This male Great-tailed Grackle caught my eye two days ago at one of my local ponds because he was displaying on a red-roofed cupola against a bright blue sky.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Great-tailed Grackle on a February morning, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-tailed-grackle-male-cupola-mia-mcpherson-7334.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-tailed-grackle-male-cupola-mia-mcpherson-7334.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-tailed-grackle-male-cupola-mia-mcpherson-7334.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-tailed-grackle-male-cupola-mia-mcpherson-7334.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61086,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/10\/30\/male-great-tailed-grackle-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":117332,"position":2},"title":"Male Great-tailed Grackle Portraits","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't often get to have Great-tailed Grackles in my viewfinder let alone have them close enough to take portraits of them so when the opportunity presents itself, I jump at the chance.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Great-tailed Grackle portrait with grass in the background, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-close-up-in-grass-mia-mcpherson-5124.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-close-up-in-grass-mia-mcpherson-5124.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-close-up-in-grass-mia-mcpherson-5124.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-close-up-in-grass-mia-mcpherson-5124.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101584,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/15\/bass-weathervane-non-birdy-things-that-catch-my-eyes\/","url_meta":{"origin":117332,"position":3},"title":"Bass Weathervane – Non-Birdy Things That Catch My Eyes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes when I am in the field photographing birds other things catch my eyes that I want to take images of. This Bass weathervane is one of those things.","rel":"","context":"In "Miscellaneous"","block_context":{"text":"Miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/miscellaneous\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bass Weathervane, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/weathervane-bass-mia-mcpherson-0343.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/weathervane-bass-mia-mcpherson-0343.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/weathervane-bass-mia-mcpherson-0343.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/weathervane-bass-mia-mcpherson-0343.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33887,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/12\/04\/the-five-oclock-great-tailed-grackle-cacophony\/","url_meta":{"origin":117332,"position":4},"title":"Five O’clock Great-tailed Grackle Cacophony","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Since the freezing temperatures arrived in my neighborhood I have been listening to a five o'clock Great-tailed Grackle cacophony nightly.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great-tailed Grackle male on a fence post at Farmington Bay WMA, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/great-tailed-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-9912.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8027,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/04\/04\/male-boat-tailed-grackle-portrait\/","url_meta":{"origin":117332,"position":5},"title":"Male Boat-tailed Grackle portrait","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Male Boat-tailed Grackles have velvety black feathers that glow in the right light with iridescence purples, blues, teals and greens.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Boat-tailed Grackle male at the Celery Fields in Sarasota County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/boat-tailed-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-7130.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/boat-tailed-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-7130.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/boat-tailed-grackle-male-mia-mcpherson-7130.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}