Sean & all--
        Just got back into town and found the comments on the black-bellied
whistling-duck at Bluffton. We all read here two other reports of this
species in Ohio this fall, and there is a record from the Cincinnati
area on 5/30/2004, Ohio's first and only accepted one. I don't know of
any reports before 2010 that have not been accepted.
        I'm not on the records committee this year, but if I were I'd (as I'm
sure current members are) take at least the following into consideration:
        --there were an unusually large number of reports of this species in
the NE this year. Many there were reported farther from its normal range
than Ohio.
        --observers from its traditional breeding range in south Texas have
contributed innumerable stories of its fearless adoption of human
habitats, even including adults escorting young into suburban backyard
swimming pools. Ohio's accepted record came from a pond in a suburban
condo community.
        --certain physical signs--clipped halluces, bands, certain kinds of
feather/soft parts wear, etc.--can strongly suggest captive origin for
waterfowl. Exotic birds are costly, and owners are generally--but not
always--anxious to have them returned if they escape, so they identify
them in some way. No one reported any such signs on this bird, though
photos may show them. Still, such an attractive duck might be  held in
captivity by casual enthusiasts who don't care to mark their birds.
        --unusual individual waterfowl, wild or not, are especially likely to
join flocks of other species during migratory periods. Wild oddballs are
less likely to show up during their breeding season, or in wintering
areas known to be unacceptable to their overall populations, but escaped
birds can show up anywhere or anytime.
        --we have some new technologies to test vagrancy: a feather from a
duck, analyzed by stable-isotope analysis, can reveal evidence of its
location during its most recent molt. So if someone picked up a feather
shed by the Bluffton duck, a fairly inexpensive test might tell us if it
spent the winter a thousand miles south of here, or not.
        In the long run, I'd guess the records committee will make a decision
based on the largest possible range of details, including not only the
appearance and behavior of this individual, but also the history of its
vagrancies in our region. If this individual does not vary significantly
from the accumulated knowledge of wild origin it is more likely to be
accepted. It is good that birders have amassed so many observations; it
would be great if someone could collect a feather!
Bill Whan
Columbus


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