Hi Folks, 1. I was told today that there have been no Whooping Cranes at Hiawasee this winter, but a check of eBird shows sightings there as recently as February 8th. One of the entries refers to "Yuchi WMA". I don't know where that is, who to contact, or how to get there. Another entry refers to a ranger having flushed a Whooping Crane into view, and a third entry refers to an unbanded bird (Now, that is exciting!). I hope someone gets me more info. 2. Tonight, at Standifer Marsh, I had 3 obvious Rusty Blackbirds, and some all-black male birds that I assumed were Brewer's Balckbirds, but according to eBird, Brewer's Blackbird is rare in this whole area. The male birds may have been Rusties that I was unable to separate from male Brewer's. Comments on the status and distrubtion of bith species are welcome. All of the blackbirds--including a big flock of Brown-headed Coowbirds showed up very late in the day, and they were quite skittish. The small flock of Common Grackles eschewed their company, preferring the church parking lot. There is also a leucistic Robin that looks like a gigantic Spotted Towhee. Tom Thomas Geza Miko, B.Sc. Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation & Lab Safety 653 S. Indian Hill Blvd., unit C Claremont, CA 91711 U.S.A. Home: 909.445.1456 Mobile: 909.241.3300