I hesitate to report this, but I've missed a lot of birds I've searched
for, so perhaps things average out over time.

At 7:20 this morning I stopped at the White River Mill east of the
intersection of Hwy 167 and 277th, south of Kent in King County. The
female RUSTY BLACKBIRD was on the road in front of the mill. It was close
enough for a good look thru the binos. Then all of a sudden that
particular band of birds (about 20) took flight and headed south along the
railroad tracks. Many other birds remained.

So I thought, why not try to find it again? I drove south on D Street to
the intersection with 44th and turned left. Where the street came to a
dead end at the RR tracks............. there it was! This was at 7:30AM.

At first light there are no blackbirds at the mill. Then gradually, they
filter in, in small bands; I'm guessing from their tree roosts nearby. By
about 7:00AM there is a huge flock of blackbirds at the mill. Good time to
look. They seem to disperse after that and come and go throughout the day.
Then they gather again in the mid to late afternoon before going to roost
for the night. This is also a good time, from say 3 to 4:30. I've also
seen lots of blackbirds there at 1:00PM, so look for it when you can. They
like the piles of spilled grain at the mill. Easy food source.

In flight at a distance the bird appears plain and light below and darker
above. A good close look reveals the positive ID marks of a fall female
RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

Great bird. I'm hopeful it will remain.

It was a good day.

Marv Breece
Seattle, WA