Juvenile common grackle (?) ISO flick in Fargo, ND
ETA FLOCK not flick (dang autocorrect)
Originally posted in r/birds and was sent here. Original text:
Juvenile common grackle without a flock?
We keep backyard feeders at our home in Fargo, ND and enjoy when bird parents bring their fledglings to the yard. Common grackles are especially fun families.
For about a week we have had a lone juvenile grackle hanging out in our yard who seems unattached to a grackle flock. She is in our yard nearly all day, seems shy but interested in all other birds, and is awkward/derpy around other grackles. And she sticks around the yard when the grackle flocks leave. In short, she appears to be a loner among a species of highly social birds.
For a while we thought she was just taking advantage of the feeders when competition is low, but she really hangs out all day, often hanging out in the dense native flowerbeds or around the tall grass. She does fly and I’ve seen her leave the yard, but she’s nearly always here when we look for her.
This has been going on for a little more than a week now. In response, we’ve been more attentive to keeping our feeders ready and bird bath clean and full (which all the birds appreciate).
My questions: what could cause this loner behavior? What happens if she fails to find a flock? And what can we do to support her safety, nutrition, etc. (we don’t want to interfere— we just want to know how we might improve our space & routines to make her comfortable).
Or maybe I’m wrong about her species?