Monday, January 24, 2011

Rusty Blackbird Blitz

Last year, birders throughout the country scoured the countryside for wintering rusty blackbirds to help scientists understand their distribution and find important local concentrations (hotspots). Much was learned from the 2010 blitz- visit the Smithsonian National Zoo's Migratory Bird Center .

But there is much more to learn. This year they are doing it again with observations to be reported from January 29 - February 13, 2011. They want to blitz for several years to both locate more hotspots and determine how stable the already discovered hot spots are from year to year. Already, the information gained is being used to implement research and conservation efforts!

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