Birders,
The gears of research are turning. Earlier this month, the International
Rusty Blackbird Technical Working Group met to discuss current
investigations into the forces acting on this rare and declining species.
One of the challenges we face with fine-scale studies of the species' winter
ecology is that we need a good "big picture" to ensure that our samples are
representative. And that's where you come in.
The International Rusty Blackbird Technical Working Group has partnered with
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird for a new multi-state Rusty Blackbird
Winter Blitz survey. If you were an active eBird-er last year, you probably
saw this page:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/bird-watchers-urgently-needed-to-track-rusty
in
April. That was our pilot study.
This year we're scaling up the operation. Please save the dates: February 7
through 15, 2009. You'll hear more about this soon, from your State Leader.
(In Virginia, our leader is Sergio Harding, at the Virginia Dept. of Game
and Inland Fisheries.)
BUT, your Rusty Blackbird sightings are already valuable! If you see Rusty
Blackbirds, please register with eBird [http://ebird.org ] and enter your
sightings. Plot locations with greater accuracy by using the "Find it on a
map" tool. With just a little additional information, your sightings will
mean even more. Right now we're asking that you record FLOCK SIZE and a
simple description of HABITAT, and enter them in the "Species Comments" or
"Notes" fields. Also, your sightings will mean much more if you record ALL
the birds that you observed at those locations, especially other blackbird
species. Finally, in your own records, keep track of locations where you see
Rusty Blackbirds, because for the big event in February, we'll be asking
that you target the spots where you expect to find Rusty Blackbirds.
As a first-year M.S. student at the College of William and Mary in
Williamsburg, I am beginning my thesis research into certain aspects of the
winter ecology of Rusty Blackbirds in the Coastal Plain of Virginia. But I'm
writing to you today because I've also volunteered as eBird liason for the
International Rusty Blackbird Technical Working Group.
Birding becomes an act of conservation when you share your sightings with
researchers. Please use eBird to enter your sightings and help us figure out
the story behind the decline of the Rusty Blackbird. For more information,
visit
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Research/Rusty_Blackbird/default.cfm
Thank you,
Andy McGann
--
Andrew J. McGann, M.S. Candidate
Department of Biology
College of William & Mary
PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA
Tel. 717-891-8145
