Grackles and crows have dipped food, mostly bread, in my birdbath.  I
haven't seen them dip beetles, however.

Cliff Comeau
Beltsville, MD




----- Original Message -----
From: "Gema Crystal" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 7:03 PM
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Grackles learning new tricks?


> 7/2/04
>   Yesterday, around noon, I was watching an immature grackle giving itself
> a wild bath in the much too small birdbath outside my kitchen window. Then
> after a while, one of its parents come over with a beetle or something in
> its mouth.
>   The baby started begging, but before the parent put the insect in its
> mouth, it dips it in the water. It does this several times, immediately
> reminding me of racoons - who wash their food before eating it.
>   Is it possible that grackles do this all the time? Or maybe just with
> certain kinds of foods?
>   Anybody out there an expert on grackles?
>
>   Gema Crystal
>