2016 Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz Begins March 1

Summary: The 2016 Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz begins March 1 as the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group's third and final blitz.

Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) perched on log in DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri Valley, Iowa: Dave Menke, Public Domain, via US Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library

The 2016 Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz begins on Tuesday, March 1. The event serves as the third and final Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz.

The overall blitz window runs from March to mid-June. The blitz suggests province- and state-specific target dates as a helpful resource tool.

"Of course, migratory timing can vary based on environmental factors, so please report Rusty Blackbirds to the 'Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz' protocol on eBird whenever you encounter them during their northward migration!" notes the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group's website.

The International Rusty Blackbird Working Group launched the first Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz in March 2014 as a citizen science project for birders to watch for the medium-sized blackbirds within their migratory range. As New World natives, Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) have migratory grounds in Canada and the United States. Their migratory range in the United States spans the Midwest, the South, and the East Coast.

The International Rusty Blackbird Working Group partners with eBird, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies in raising Rusty Blackbird awareness via a three-year counting blitz. The blitzes are aimed at expanding the small information base on Rusty Blackbird migratory habits and requirements.

“Are there hot spots where many individuals congregate during migration? Are similar migratory stopover areas used by Rusties each year? Are stopover areas protected, or might availability of these areas be limiting Rusty Blackbird survival?” asks the group’s website to illustrate the insufficiency of migratory data on Rusty Blackbirds.

Participants in the 2016 Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz are requested to continue to pay special attention to locations identified by the 2014 inaugural blitz as supporting large populations. Revisiting these 2016 Areas of Interest provides valuable insights into consistent habitat use and migratory timing.

Sightings reported in 2014’s 13,400 checklists leads to identification of 848 Areas of Interest (AOI). Flock size determines placement within three levels of priority. A flock of 175+ equates to 1-Highest Priority. A flock size of 48+ qualifies for 2-High Priority. A flock size of 25+ rates as 3-Medium Priority. The 2014 data discerned 205 Priority 1 AOIs, 207 Priority 2 AOIs, and 342 Priority 3 AOIs.

The International Rusty Blackbird Working Group designates an additional 94 local hotspots for provinces and states without at least 10 unique international AOIs. A cutoff flock of at least eight birds drives the selection of Local Areas of Interest. The cutoff results in the assigning of fewer than 10 AOIs to some provinces and states, such as British Columbia and Alaska.

Blitzes in 2015 and 2016 seek to determine the consistency of these areas as Rusty Blackbird migratory habitat choices. In addition to revisiting the blitzes’ designated international and local hotspots, participants also are allowed to use personal preferences in their targeted searches for Rusty Blackbird habitats.

The inaugural 2014 Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz yielded 13,400 checklists reported by 4,570 birders. The second Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz in 2015 resulted in 13,919 checklists submitted by 4,885 birders.

The Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz Protocol provides step-by-step guidance for data entry of checklists. The two-page document is accessed at: http://rustyblackbird.org/wp-content/uploads/Spring-Migration-Blitz-Optional-Protocol.pdf

Two video tutorials published by the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE14) on YouTube on Feb. 25, 2015, give customized data entry guidance to beginning and advanced participants.

The URL for Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz Data Entry: Beginner is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjqOLXyJLro.

The URL for Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz Data Entry: Advanced is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETRXujTSsZQ

Founding of the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group:

Questions about the elusive species prompted Dr. Russell “Russ” J. Greenberg (July 27, 1953 to Oct. 24, 2013), ornithologist and head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center at Washington, D.C.‘s National Zoological Park, to found the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group in February 2005.

male rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus); photo by Scott Kruitbosch/RTPI.org: Roger Tory Peterson @RTPInstitute, via Twitter Feb. 10, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) perched on log in DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri Valley, Iowa: Dave Menke, Public Domain, via US Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library @ http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/natdiglib/id/13043/

male rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus); photo by Scott Kruitbosch/RTPI.org: Roger Tory Peterson @RTPInstitute, via Twitter Feb. 10, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/RTPInstitute/status/697464226076561410

For further information:

Forbes, Andy. "2014 Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz Could Lead To Important Migration Data To Help Counter Population Declines." Last updated March 31, 2014. US Fish and Wildlife Service > Midwest > Inside Region 3.
Available @ http://www.fws.gov/midwest/InsideR3/March14Story17.htm

Roger Tory Peterson @RTPInstitute. "Rusty Blackbird Blitz 2016." Twitter. Feb. 10, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/RTPInstitute/status/697464226076561410

“Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz Protocol.” February 2014. International Rusty Blackbird Working Group > Data Collection.
Available @ http://rustyblackbird.org/wp-content/uploads/Spring-Migration-Blitz-Optional-Protocol.pdf