Love your series! I find myself in similar shoes. I'm by no means a birder, but since I started photographing birds about 3 years ago, I've learned to identify so many more than I ever thought I could. And like you, I can often just listen and know which birds are hanging out outside. So much fun!

We have grackles here in Michigan too, but obviously most of our birds are very different from yours, so I enjoy your photography.