> The new year and the Christmas Bird Counts remind us about Ohio bird
> records. The last time we discussed this topic on ohio-birds was in
> early 2006, when we were fresh from a productive year with five
> additions to the Ohio list: sooty tern, green violetear, Anna's
> hummingbird, red-naped sapsucker, and cave swallow. Since then, only
> one new species has been added, a totally unforeseen white-throated
> swift seen by a few lucky observers in Ottawa NWR in April 2006. The
> state list now stands at 420 species, according to the new OBRC Checklist.
>
> Not that we haven’t been vigilant. A number of species that would have
> been new to the list were reported, but none conclusively documented
> for the record. A lot of rarities were found, and we had notable
> nesting/probable nesting records (common raven, black rail, Eurasian
> collared-dove, black-necked stilt, Mississippi kite are examples) that
> were of great importance. Among documented rarities just this year
> were black rails, anhinga, magnificent frigatebird, burrowing owls,
> wood storks, cave swallows, and western tanager, to mention only the
> most prominent. But three years with only one new bird for the list is
> a very long time, especially now that more birders, more communicative
> and knowledgeable overall than ever before, are out in the field more
> often.
>
> Back in February 2006, I posted to the list to ask for thoughtful
> predictions about the species most likely to be added to the Ohio
> list. Thirteen people responded, and nominated 52 species in all.
> Here, in order of number of votes received (each indicated by an X)
> and alphabetically within ties, are the nominees:
>
> Ash-throated flycatcher XXXXXXXXX
>
> Fish crow XXXXXXXXX
>
> Sage thrasher XXXXXXXX
>
> Broad-billed hummingbird XXXXXX
>
> Fork-tailed flycatcher XXXXXXX
>
> Slaty-backed gull XXXXXX
>
> Yellow-billed loon XXXXXX
>
> Golden-crowned sparrow XXXXX
>
Band-tailed pigeon XXXX
> Black-chinned hummingbird XXXX
>
> Black skimmer XXXX
>
> Cassin’s sparrow XXXX
>
> Gray kingbird XXXX
>
> Great cormorant XXXX
>
> Inca dove XXXX
>
> Lewis’s woodpecker XXXX
>
> Neotropic cormorant XXXX
>
> Ferruginous hawk XXX
>
> Lazuli bunting XXX
>
> Band-rumped storm-petrel XX
>
> Dovekie XX
>
> MacGillivray’s warbler XX
>
> Pacific-slope flycatcher XX
>
> Tropical kingbird XX
>
> Vaux’s swift XX
>
> Virginia’s warbler XX
>
> One vote @: Gull-billed tern, reddish egret, shiny cowbird, Allen’s
> hummingbird, Pacific golden-plover, hermit warbler, black-tailed gull,
> hooded oriole, Allen’s hummingbird, gray jay, yellow-legged gull, new
> sp. red crossbill, lesser nighthawk, Cory’s shearwater, fieldfare,
> Clark’s grebe, monk parakeet, black-tailed godwit, little stint,
> masked duck, western wood-pewee, mountain plover, Hammond’s
> flycatcher, Clark’s nutcracker, chestnut-collared longspur, lesser
> goldfinch (all one vote apiece).
>
> Only two species on this list have even been reported during those
> three years: an old report of a ferruginous hawk that might well have
> been valid but just didn’t have enough details, and two reports of a
> reddish egret from the past summer that are now being evaluated.
> Still, the list above doesn’t seem unrealistic, does it? If anyone has
> important revisions to suggest, please let us all know. If nothing
> else, this is a good list of the likelier great Ohio finds to bone up
> on before you start 2009 birding, and a reminder that good solid
> documentation is needed if you’re prepared and lucky enough to find one!
>
> Happy new year to all,
>
> Bill Whan
> Columbus
>
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