I was startled a couple of days ago to look out of my birdfeeder-watching window and see a common grackle -- those large, irridescent blackbirds usually seen on lawns -- having a go at my caged feeder, the one designed to keep larger birds out and let the little guys have an undisturbed place to feed. You can see, in the photo above, the feeder tipping under the bird's weight. The next moment it was flying away (below).
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Those are grackles, eh? These birds are wreaking havoc with our feeder (we don't have the cage-type). Between the grackles (are they the same as starlings?) and the pesky squirrels, the other birds don't have much of a shot.
A very nice couple I was chatting with last night told me that putting Tobasco sauce in the seed will repel the squirrels but the birds don't seem to mind. It's worth a try!
We have lots of starlings around at times, too, so that might be what you've been seeing. They are recognizable by their spotted/speckled look, though they are predominantly black, and their noticeably short tails. See more here. The grackles are larger, with longer tails and always that very irridescent look which can make them appear green or purple.
As George Costanza might say, "These grackles are raising my hackles!"
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