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Good riddance

crowski

Member
Dec 14, 2020
4,078
6,242
On, Canada
I was out chasing Grackles with my HW98 .22 got 2, and I just noticed the last ice flow leaving my boat launch,
98A8B050-874A-4794-91BA-317D8B4A1A2B.1649468085.jpeg
 I was walking on the ice 3 days ago. The only problem with this the bloody Geese are back and I’ve got the green laser ready. Crow 
 
Yep...agree on both grackles and geese. Ask the farmers in my area how much seed the grackles destroy and they crap on everything as well messing up the farmers feed. I have a pond and have a steady watch to keep both geese and ducks out !! Their crap grows algea like there is no tomorrow!! Ocassionally a small group will sneak in early in the morning, the algea appears just days after they leave and costs big bucks for chemicals to keep it under control. If I have no geese or ducks then have very little algea. We have grackles as well, they crap on everything, just like most birds there crap is full of bacteria, when it dries the wind blows it around and causes serious lung infections, it is on the national list of hazzard materials. My grandson is an animal keeper at the zoo, they are required hazard suits and resperators to go into the bird areas because there crap is so dangerous. Dont get me wrong, I enjoy the song birds and often feed them, but the starlings and grackles come in by the thousands and eat all the food and crap on everything. Well time to get the trusty TX out and go back to gard duty...
 
It's a good thing Texas is still a Republic, and never officially accepted statehood, because "Texas grackles" are a nuisance/pest bird, and make fine targets, especially when flying in packs of dozens or hundreds. Now a Texas "Grackle" is a black, land-based bird, not a water-fowl. So if I step on any non-Texan toes, I apologize, we may be talking about two different species.

As for geese...the average goose will drop almost 1/3 or more of it's body weight in feces every day. That nasty smelling mess is full of bacteria, virus, and waste-borne pathogens, including botulism, that can cause deadly harm if ingested by humans. Consider...my neighbors FED the Canadian geese on our lake and within a week a large flock had taken up residence and turned their lakefront into a sewer! Game and Fish was contacted to explain to the wildlife lovers that, although a handsome bird, they are a disease vector that carries into your house on the bottom of shoes, children's hands, and almost anything that bird and humans touch.

I hunted them as a youth, but never found them to be particularly tasty!


 
FYI Grackles are on the Federal list of protected species

Good thing he’s in Canada

"The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 implements four international conservation treaties that the U.S. entered into with Canada in 1916, Mexico in 1936, Japan in 1972, and Russia in 1976.It is intended to ensure the sustainability of populations of all protected migratory bird species."

The worst thing about laws is actually knowing which apply, where they apply, and to whom they apply.

Apparently Grackles are protected under the above mentioned treaty in both Canada and the US ...


 
Thanks all for the laser information. I just moved to a condo with a few acres of lawn and a good size pond in the middle of it. Talk about a perfect storm to attract Canada’s! Currently we have shiny pinwheels all around the pond, but it did not even slow them down. We do have a resident PITA person so we have to be careful.

I will be studying the lasers.