Friday, February 17, 2012

I sound like a Grackle!

Tis the season for everyone throughout the office to have some form of the crud. It might be sniffles and sneezing or coughing or both, but everyone seems to have it. Me included. I don't feel bad, I just sound that way. ("I'm not bad...I'm just drawn that way." - Jessica Rabbit).


If you live in the south, you'll know what a Grackle sounds like. The dictionary describes the sound as "Common Grackles make a variety of squeaks, whistles, and croaks. The typical song, made by both males and females, is a guttural readle-eak accompanied by high-pitched, clear whistles. It lasts just less than a second and is often described as sounding like a rusty gate. This bird's song is particularly harsh, especially when these birds, in a flock, are calling. Songs vary from, year round "Chewink Chewink" to a more complex breeding season "Ooo whew,whew,whew,whew,whew" call that gets faster and faster and ends with a loud "Crewhewwhew!"Rusted gate is right! The dictionary failed to mention the emphysemic wheeze that they do right before the clearing of phlegm or at least something that sounds like it, then the squawk. The wheeze isn't always noticed by people because it's much quieter than the rest of their song but I noticed it. Because I sort of sound like that right now.

Here's a lovely example of the Grackle song:

Don't you wish you could sound like that?

1 comment:

  1. There is something in the air- a gal in my carpool said the 10th floor sounds the same way!! :/

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