[Maple Leaf Mama]

For the past 2 weeks (ish) we have noticed grackles (??), or maybe Starlings flipping over the wood chips in our rose gardens. I'm talking about 6 or 7 birds at a time! They flip the wood chips over or out of the beds with their beaks.
Clearly they are looking for something...but what?
Grubs in a 1 year old rose bed??
Aphids?? Do they even eat those?

I don't care about the birds- but if they are going after bugs-I WOULD like to know which ones. I haven't noticed anything-and I inspect regularly.
TIA! (BTW, I live in Ontario)

 

[richella]

My book says grackles eat "Insects, seeds, grain, salmanders, eggs and young of other birds, and even small fish." So which of those do you have in your roses? ha ha I have no clue.

You can tell grackles from starlings by the tail. The grackle tail is longer than most birds in that size range. They do like to hang out on the ground in groups, and they make a throaty grackley sound. But their warning cry is different, more like a shrill whistle, and very distinctive.