During this morning's walk around our property (a bit like mountaineering,
hiking up and down the ravines in the snow and ice) we came upon what I
thought was a noteworthy flock of grackles, 30 or 40 birds. Then this
afternoon, 4:30-ish, we took a hike around the ridgetop field, and a truly
huge flock streamed past, southeast to northwest. I paused and began
estimated counting, first reckoning what a hundred birds looked like, then
counting them off, at first silently. My non-birder wife Jane said, "Wow!
How many birds is that?" So I continued the count audibly, "... 4, 5, 6,.."
ticking off the hundreds. When it finally dwindled I had reached a
thousand. Everything I saw looked like a grackle, and this is all I heard
as well.

Fascinating!

There is also a largish flock of starlings around, about 300 birds, but I
saw none of them in this flock.

Other typical winter species all seem to be present.

Bob Evans
Geologist, etc.
Valhalla Acres Fiber Farm
Hopewell Township, Muskingum County

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