Good morning
Thank you to everyone who submitted Rusty Blackbird sightings to eBird this
spring! Although the close of the target Blitz dates in Tennessee are over,
the Blitz isn¹t!
In 2014, Rusty migration was later than usual through many states, and
birders were reporting Rusty Blackbirds in some southern states including TN
in early April, and in northern states through early May. Even outside of
our official Blitz window for TN, we still need all of your Rusty Blackbird
observations to help understand Rusty Blackbird migratory timing and habitat
use. The international Blitz runs through June 15, so please continue to
submit your observations to the ³Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz²
protocol on eBird until then.
Here¹s a bit of info from the first month of the Blitz:
-3752 checklists reporting Rusty Blackbirds were submitted to eBird during
March 2015
-783 of these checklists were submitted under the Blitz protocol option in
eBird
-738 additional checklists were submitted under the Blitz protocol; birders
searched for Rusties but did not find them
-The two largest flocks of Rusties reported so far during the Blitz each
contained 1000 birds; one of these flocks was reported in Ohio on 3/21, the
other in Virginia on 3/22.
-Ohio (429) and Virginia (371) have the most Rusty reports so far (these
numbers include checklists reporting Rusties, and checklists submitted to
the Blitz protocol where no Rusties were observed.
-New York (325) and Pennsylvania (315) are third and fourth in number of
Rusty reports so far
Thanks to all for supporting this international initiative to learn more
about Rusty Blackbirds.
<")
( \
/ |` Cyndi Routledge
TN Blitz Coordinator
Southeastern Avian Research
Specializing in Winter Hummingbird banding
1515 N. Willow Bend Court
Clarksville, TN 37043
931-206-3517
