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Re: CONSENSUS Re: [MDOSPREY] Help with bird ID?

From:

"Desiree L. Narango"

Reply-To:

Desiree L. Narango

Date:

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:13:06 -0500

Historically, rusty flocks were seen in the massive numbers throughout their
preferred habitat (wet swampy forests, etc.).

For example....

"on the first day of May 1880, as I stood on an iron bridge crossing a
sluggish stream of Tonawanda [Oak Orchard] Swamp, I saw the Rusty Grakles
[sic] (Scolecophagus ferrugineus) constantly trooping by in immense
numbers.... The sombre wave, thus constantly rolling on, must have carried
hundreds of thousands over this highway in a day.... On being alarmed ...
these Grakles would rise in a dense, black cloud, and with a rumbling sound
like that of distant thunder" (Beardslee & Mitchell, 1965.)

 While I have seen rusty blackbirds pretty regularly when I bird areas like
these, I also tend to see small flocks, 5-10 birds here, maybe 20 there. The
most I've ever seen was a group of 50+ in NW PA during migration. The
apparent difference between accounts of today and accounts of yesteryear is
what alerted researchers to the accelerating decline taking place. (see
Greenberg, R. and Droege, S. On the Decline of the Rusty Blackbird and the
Use of Ornithological Literature to Document Long-Term Population
Trends. Conservation
Biology. 13(3):553-559, June 1999. for more info). I think I also remember
reading somewhere that some rusty breeding spots in the boreal north that
have been reliable breeding spots have been utterly abandoned in the last
decade. So documenting where (and when!) you see rusties in hot spots that
you know of now, and reporting on ebird, is of utmost importance.

Desiree
Berkeley Springs, WV

On Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 1:45 PM, Philip S Brody <>wrote:

> I know that Rusty Blackbirds are supposed to be in decline  However,
> presently small flocks
> can be seen  commonly in Hughes Hollow flying and alit in bare trees.
> Flocks I see now are single specie of perhaps twenty birds. They are usually
> in the west impoundment and in the swampy area to the south. This also was
> the case last year and the year before.  I've also seen them similarly at
> Viollete's lock.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Philip S Brody" <>
> To: "Derek C. Richardson" <>; <
> >
> Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 1:28 PM
> Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] CONSENSUS Re: [MDOSPREY] Help with bird ID?
>
>
>
>  You can rule out Brewer's blackbird which would be rare in this area at
>> anytime. However according to the bird books they differ in that the Rusty
>> Blackbird has a longer bill that is somewhat decurved, a shorter tail and is
>> less glossy. All this can be seen in your photos. The males do both however
>> have white eyes distinguishing them from Red-winged Blackbird with epaulets
>> somehow obscured. Common Grackle is larger and longer tailed and clearly
>> iridescent.
>>
>> Phil Brody
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Derek C. Richardson" <
>> >
>> To: <>
>> Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 12:19 PM
>> Subject: [MDOSPREY] CONSENSUS Re: [MDOSPREY] Help with bird ID?
>>
>>
>>  OK, the strong consensus is that the bird featured here:
>>>
>>>   http://www.astro.umd.edu/~dcr/xfer/Unknown/<http://www.astro.umd.edu/%7Edcr/xfer/Unknown/>
>>>
>>> is a male RUSTY BLACKBIRD, which, needless to say, is a yard bird (#99!).
>>> :)  (Laurel MD, PG County.)  One question was whether it could be a
>>> Brewer's.  It would be nice to definitively rule that out, if possible?
>>>
>>> Thanks for everyone's help!!  Nice bird for the CBC. :)
>>>
>>> D
>>>
>>> --
>>> Derek C. Richardson, Laurel, PG County, MD
>>> http://www.astro.umd.edu/~dcr/Archives/Photos/birds.html<http://www.astro.umd.edu/%7Edcr/Archives/Photos/birds.html>
>>>
>>>
>>


-- 
Desiree L. Narango
(410) 458-4530