On an afternoon walk at Tibbett's Brook Park (Yonkers, Westchester County) today, Barry and I came upon about 500 Common Grackles feeding on white oak acorns in the leaf litter and on the paths. A few bronze were mixed among the purples. Quite a sight. It was clearly the in place to be for grackles: much flying back and forth, calling and taking turns bathing splashily in the lake. The lake, now free of its August' "meadow" of Trapa Natans (kindly identified for us by Jim Osterlund) hosted six Hooded Mergansers, including one female, and two pairs of Wood Ducks along with the usual Mallards.
Rita Freed
