Gang Awareness and Other Backyard Behaviors

All law enforcement officers across the country are required to take many hours of in-service courses and many of them are State-mandated. I found one of them particularly interesting as I browsed the description of a course entitled “Gang Awareness (& Street Drug Investigation)”. Behaviors and characteristics of potential criminal activities in gangs are discussed in this course and I found some similarities between this course offering and my own backyard dynamics I study every day.

My brain is mush tonight so the following descriptions and analogies are silly. Please bear with me.

Common Grackles thrive in gangs. Together, they fly to the feeders at breakneck speed causing the station to bounce, sending the finches off their feet in a springing motion. I rarely see just one grackle. The one in the photo above is alone because they all flee before I can raise my camera! They are easily frightened wimps even though they certainly look quite fierce and mighty. The gang membership dynamic works for them.

Starlings also travel with a gang and although they aren’t quite as large and overwhelming as the Grackles, they have the snotty attitude that makes up for it in a big way. They push and shove their way around and usually get what they want. When alerted, they take off as fast the Grackles do while the smaller, dim-witted birds like Mourning Doves, Robins, and Finches wait it out and stand firm.

Mockers get all bent out of shape when the Grackles and Starlings are hogging the space and they are great security guards, offering assistance to fellow feeder dwellers. Sometimes a Mocker can annoy the heck out of these two species and cause them to flee. The Mocker’s flashes of white and gray swirl around the largest crows and drive them off effectively.

Often I hear a familiar small bird voice from a distance and suddenly, in a flash, the birds disappear! It’s an alarm that sounds from this small bird and all the rest heed to it.

When this happens I first look for a hawk nearby then I watch the vacant feeders for a few seconds. Just beyond the feeders, I see a tiny, swift, black and white aircraft hover up and down, coming in for a landing.

Chief Chickadee, Gang Specialist

“Mmmm. Quiet. Nice for me! Tee hee!”

This small Chief can really pack a punch when it feels like it and is very skilled in crowd control and gang management.

Then there are the lurkers, the birds and other furry critters that arrive at the feeders or ground and seem to be dying of anxiety attacks. They hardly take a step without scanning 360.

Are you yelling at me? (Rocky, the bull-headed.)

Gee, I don’t think she likes me…

I’m outta here!

The Rock Doves (pigeons?) stop by every day around 5pm. They must wear wristwatches to be so prompt. See nervous Claude there, peeking at me? Claude has a friend. If there is just a bit of movement from the house, they are history and will land on a rooftop and watch from afar. But today, I was the paparazzi!

Dear, you look just lovely tonight.

Oh, stop it, Claude. You’re making me blush.

May I have the honor?

Ooooo. (Fumbling camera) Ahem!

Perhaps they will nest near the paparazzi’s house?


(Once again, I am not a pervert. I’m just a curious bystander…and I thought these birds were SHY.)