{"id":118631,"date":"2023-11-30T04:31:49","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T11:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=118631"},"modified":"2023-11-30T16:16:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T23:16:18","slug":"my-uncommon-common-grackle-sighting-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/11\/30\/my-uncommon-common-grackle-sighting-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"My Uncommon Common Grackle Sighting Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today is the third anniversary of my uncommon Common Grackle sighting in Utah. I found the grackle perched in a Russian Olive tree next to Glover Pond.<\/p>\n

\"CommonCommon Grackle with its bill open \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 1000, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

There were hundreds of Red-winged and Brewer’s Blackbirds along with Brown-headed Cowbirds in the area that day. They were flying in and out of the tree, landing on the road, and perching on the old fence posts that are no longer there. It took my keen eyes to spot the uncommon Common Grackle<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

I knew immediately that this bird was a Common Grackle.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How? Because I had extensive experience with this Eastern species from living in Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida back East. I knew exactly how to identify this species when compared to the other black birds in the area.<\/p>\n

After correctly identifying the grackle, I pointed out the bird. That wasn’t an easy task with all of the other similar-looking black birds that were perched in the tree. But eventually I succeeded. The bird I found was a lifer for them.<\/p>\n

The photos of this grackle I took weren’t as sharp as I would have liked for them to be. I know exactly why they weren’t as in focus as I wanted. It is called heat wave dispersion. The interior of the vehicle I was in was much warmer than the surrounding air and with the windows down to photograph birds, the interior heat escaped and cause heat waves in the air in front of my lens.<\/p>\n

During the winter in Utah I keep the inside of my Jeep cool but not freezing by running the heat only at my feet on low and I shut it off if I see any evidence of heat wave dispersion. That has worked great for me.<\/p>\n

I was thrilled to find, identify, and photograph the Common Grackle<\/span><\/a> three years ago and to point out a lifer bird for a friend. In the years since then, I have yet to find another Common Grackle in Utah. This year I did see them in Virginia and photographed them in Arkansas<\/span><\/a>. I hope to have this species in my viewfinder again soon.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

Today is the third anniversary of my uncommon Common Grackle sighting in Utah. I found the grackle perched in a Russian Olive tree next to Glover Pond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118628,"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":[27,10695,1022,697,26],"tags":[4004,5552,10697,715,4779,4780,4062,6733,4104,10696,5577,6420,10580,373],"class_list":["post-118631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-common-grackles","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-bill","tag-common-grackle","tag-glover-pond","tag-grackle","tag-grackles","tag-male","tag-open","tag-perched","tag-quiscalus-quiscula","tag-russian-olive","tag-uncommon","tag-uncommon-at-location","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/common-grackle-adult-glover-pond-mia-mcpheeron-6915.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-uRp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":75758,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/12\/05\/finding-two-uncommon-birds-in-one-week-rusty-blackbird-and-common-grackle\/","url_meta":{"origin":118631,"position":0},"title":"Finding Two Uncommon Birds In One Week – Rusty Blackbird And Common Grackle","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Finding two uncommon birds this week at the same olive tree really has me buzzed and to finally see a Rusty Blackbird has made me feel like jumping over the moon.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult male Rusty Blackbird in nonbreeding plumage, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/rusty-blackbird-mia-mcpherson-8554.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/rusty-blackbird-mia-mcpherson-8554.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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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, 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Views","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s been hot here in Arkansas, so I thought I\u2019d share a photo of a striking Common Grackle in the snow because it\u2019s a cooling winter view.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Grackle in snow on a winter day, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/common-grackle-adult-male-snow-mia-mcpherson-1393.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/common-grackle-adult-male-snow-mia-mcpherson-1393.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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