This is just a reminder that the Rusty Blackbird (RUBL) Spring Migration Blitz has started today and will continue through April 15. In order for your RUBL observations to be useful to the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group, you MUST submit ALL RUBL observations to www.eBird.org.
We are competing with Wisconsin to see which state has more birders successfully finding RUBL. The winning state will get some sort of trophy to be publicly displayed. In order to compete, again, observations must be submitted to www.eBird.org. So far Wisconsin has more RUBL observations than us, but we do have one observation that was likely that of an overwintering individual. In central Iowa, I've seen flocks of a few hundred blackbirds, but nothing further north yet. I estimate that we'll see more RUBL in another week or two. If you missed my first post, I suggest you read what I copy and pasted below. Otherwise, good RUBL'ing! Alyssa DeRubeis Lake Mills, IA 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. 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 ( [email protected]) or me ([email protected]). Lastly, I ask that you pass along the blitz information to birders who don't read these list-serve posts. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
