Grackles Catching Fish!!

For the third year in a row, I witnessed Common Grackles catching minnows at the mouth of the St. Clair River. In past years, waves pushed the minnows onto low erosion control structures, stranding the fish and making it easy for the Grackles to grab their prey. Today, the birds were hunting the minnows that were trapped in an old stone foundation.

The water was fairly choppy today and the birds had to stand right at the water's edge. The above Grackle had to shake off its feathers after a wave washed over top!

Grackles could see many swimming minnows, just outside of their grabbing range.

A more daring individual managed to snag two minnows in one grab during a big wave!!

This video taken in 2022 shows the Grackles in action on a calmer day.