TomS, I think grackles went onto the protected list about 2 years ago. Darned shame. See what it takes to get a permit to control them. I don't know what the laws are like in Serburn, but in many places one can contact the local police and get permission to use a small shotgun (.410) and permission might not be needed for a pellet gun. In a sub-division, jumping thru a few hoops is a lot better than attempting "shoot, shovel, and shut-up". It's a witnesses sort of thing. Besides, it's the right way to go about things.

Ed