If there's a chance that you will or hope to see a Rusty Blackbird this spring, I ask that you read on:
The Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz is taking place between March 15 and April 15 in Minnesota. While much research has been done on its boreal breeding grounds, biologists know little about its migratory habits. The purpose of this blitz is to identify critical migration sites across its entire migration route. I am asking that anyone birding in Minnesota during the aforementioned period submit all their Rusty Blackbird observations to www.eBird.org. To the best of my knowledge, the MOU Seasonal Report database does not transfer observations on to eBird, therefore you must use eBird so your observations can be used by those involved in the International Rusty Blackbird Working Team. Also, we are competing with Wisconsin to see which state finds the most Rusty Blackbirds this spring. The winning state gets a trophy to display publicly (for us it would probably be at the Bell Museum in Minneapolis). I love Wisconsin and all, but let's kick their you-know-whats! More information, including (optional) data sheets and identification tips, can be found here: http://rustyblackbird.org/outreach/migration-blitz/. If you have any questions about the blitz, or how to use eBird, feel free to e-mail your Minnesota state coordinators, Brittney Larson ( brittneylarso...@gmail.com) or me (alderub...@gmail.com). Lastly, I ask that you pass along the blitz information to birders who don't read these list-serve posts. While I'll be in Iowa this spring, I'll be close to the MN border and will be sure to send plenty of Rusty Blackbirds your way! Good birding! Alyssa DeRubeis a few more days in Golden Valley, Hennepin Co. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
