{"id":120872,"date":"2024-02-12T04:47:35","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T11:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=120872"},"modified":"2024-03-17T16:57:41","modified_gmt":"2024-03-17T22:57:41","slug":"male-great-tailed-grackle-on-a-february-morning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/12\/male-great-tailed-grackle-on-a-february-morning\/","title":{"rendered":"Male Great-tailed Grackle On A February Morning"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

\"MaleMale Great-tailed Grackle on a February morning \u2013 Nikon D500, tripod mounted, f8, 1\/500, ISO 500, +2.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Great-tailed Grackles that reside near me are year-round residents, but I don’t see them as often during the winter months. The grackles are starting to show up more frequently now as it gets closer to spring. We have been having a warmer, less snowy winter this year compared to last winter.<\/p>\n

This adult male Great-tailed Grackle was in the company of a male grackle who hatched last year. That male had browner plumage and lacked the gorgeous bluish-purple iridescence that this male has. Although I photographed the younger male, today I wanted to share this male’s photo.<\/p>\n

The range of Great-tailed Grackles is expanding; they are showing up further north now than their historical range. The Great-tailed Grackle’s range expansion is attributed to their behavioral flexibility, persistence in overcoming challenges in new environments, and adaptability to urban and arid habitats. These traits have enabled them to thrive in human-altered landscapes, significantly extending their geographic range over the past century.<\/p>\n

When I moved to Utah in 2009, I didn’t see this grackle species in the numbers or frequency that I do now.<\/p>\n

This displaying male Great-tailed Grackle<\/span><\/a> is only getting started on his spring displays. I enjoy photographing the male grackles displaying, and the females seemingly ignoring the displays in the spring. The males are challenging to expose properly because of their dark plumage, but I like challenges. Always have, always will, as long as I have a camera in my hands.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120869,"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":[27,426,12454,26],"tags":[4004,4072,14707,779,11142,4779,4780,2429,4062,4378,4778,13468,4018,8018,12839,373],"class_list":["post-120872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-great-tailed-grackles","category-san-juan-county","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-calling","tag-cupola","tag-displaying","tag-february","tag-grackle","tag-grackles","tag-great-tailed-grackle","tag-male","tag-morning","tag-quiscalus-mexicanus","tag-roof","tag-sky","tag-urban","tag-weathervane","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-tailed-grackle-male-cupola-mia-mcpherson-7334.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-vry","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100863,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/16\/it-is-great-tailed-grackle-breeding-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":120872,"position":0},"title":"It 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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, 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