Black birds by the hundreds hit the yard every year, the tattle tale sign of cooler weather. They screech with delight as they feast on the hackberries. Right before I took the last picture, all the screeching came to a quick stop as the air was filled with the AMAZING sound of hundreds of wings flapping as they all took off in flight.

Great shot Norton!

WOWSER!!!!!!!!! WHAT A TERRIFIC PHOTO!!!!!!! Are you referring to the trees by your home right in Henderson? Must have been a real thrill!!!!!!!

Yes, they were right in the yard. I've got numerous hackberry trees which is great for birds. Unfortunately, the trees are at the end of their life span. Yes it was a thrill. I should have video recorded it with sound as the audio beat the visual part. I'll try to remember that next year.

When the kids got off the bus they were telling me how our good neighbor Tex had a bunch of black birds in his yard. I chuckled and said I just scared them over there as I showed them the photo. Thanks for the compliments on the photo, they thought it was pretty cool too.

Jeff....at first glance we thought they were red-winged blackbirds. What an incrediblly noisy neighborhood you must have had for a while!!! When you take a look at their chests, there is the purple glint of the GRACKLE!!!!!!! Note also the long grackle tails!!!!! What a mob!!! Seneca had lots of damage committed against their sweetcorn fields to the west this summer.....dry weather...hungry, thirsty birds....ripening sweetcorn......equals trouble. Don't know that we've ever experienced such a great close-up shot of the black marauders!!!!! Folks in South Dakota were planning a massive poisoning project for the blackbirds two years ago. We aren't aware of what finally happened, as the environmental effects on other creatures could have been extensive. Let's find out.