1st Round

3/16/09
Weisse – Accept

03-17-2009
Sturts --Accept

I wish the photos were clearer but between the photos and the description, I am convinced that the identification is correct.

03-19-2009
Darren Clark--Reject, specific identification not established

The bird is most likely a Rusty Blackbird, but I can't get quite enough out of the photographs to be certain. This in conjunction with the fact that Steve didn't identify the bird in the field leads me to reject the record.

03-21-2009
Dave Trochlell--Accept

Wow, I was really "sitting on the fence" on this one. This wasn't exactly an easy judgement because of poor image quality, but I kept wondering what else this bird could be except a Rusty Blackbird or a female Red-winged Blackbird. If the bird lacked the requisite coarse streaking (which I'd think the observers would've seen) of a female Red-wing, then that leads us back to Rusty Blackbird. My impression is that the images show a short-tailed, thin-billed blackbird with a bold supercillium and prominent dark eyeline. But if it was a Rusty, I wonder why the reporters didn't see and report the bird's pale eye color, a diagnostic identification feature of this species.

3-25-09
Carlisle--Accept

good description and photos show several key features

30 March 2009
Hardy--Reject, specific identification not established

An interesting record, but the photos are not of sufficient quality to nail down an identification.

03-31-2009
chuck trost--Accept

While the photos were absolutely horrible, the description seemed adequate for this species.