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December 2013

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From:
Andrew Sewell <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Andrew Sewell <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 8 Dec 2013 20:05:49 -0500
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The ABA recently put out a publication addressing this very issue, The
Birder's Guide to Listing and Taxonomy (readable online here:
http://bg.aba.org/i/205710 ). There's a great article that explains the
interplay between state and ABA listing. Essentially, unless there is a
compelling reason otherwise, the ABA defers to the state bird records
committee on issues such as this. Now, if someone wants to present a formal
argument to the OBRC for the establishment of the bird species, then I'm
sure they'd love to review it. But for the reasons that Bill posted, I
think it will be a while yet for this large, slow-breeding bird to be truly
established. Once they start breeding at Pickerington Ponds, maybe...

Andy Sewell
Columbus, Ohio


On Sun, Dec 8, 2013 at 7:58 PM, Dino Costanzo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Before saying anything on this issue, I want to say that I respect Bill
> and this response is nothing more than a disagreement in his opinion and
> those that hold his view in some way. I had a chance to talk first hand
> with an Ohio Division Biologist on this issue and I was informed that
> Trumpeter Swans in Ohio are on their 3rd Generation at this point. That
> means we have had 2 cycles of successful breeding in the wild on their own
> since the reintroduction or introduction process has begun. If we take the
> argument that a species was introduced into an area by man, we run the risk
> of saying that all introduced species are actually not countable. Seeing
> that Bird Listing is a game or sport and those that attempt to play by one
> particular association rules, I am referring to the ABA, the way I have
> read the rules or interpret them, I would deem the Trumpeter Swan as a bird
> that can now be listed in Ohio. The Trumpeter appears on the ABA Checklist
> and that means that the bird now can be considered. In reading the rule on
> deeming a bird that has been reintroduced or introduced, the Trumpeter
> would clear those hurtles at this point. It is my understanding that once a
> bird is accepted on the ABA checklist, rules or decisions by a state
> committee do not ultimately determine weather one can count the bird. It is
> also my understanding that Ohio has never made a determination, weather the
> Trumpeter population is now wild or not wild. I have researched this for
> over 3 months and sent to many individuals and organizations, just looking
> for an opinion. I have only received one response and that was after making
> direct contact. No one has elected to weigh in. Depending what list you are
> working with can make a difference, but for the sake of the ABA, I can see
> no reason not to TIC the Trumpeter. I have seen over 200 birds at 7
> different locations and was never able to get closer than 100 yards, maybe.
> States around us have deemed the bird as countable and there has been some
> migrational movement of these breeding birds. I have read no less than 40
> different articles and maybe a hundred opinions on this I have found on the
> Internet. The last release was 2002, I believe, but the balance were
> released between 1996-98. I may be off by just a bit, because I am not
> looking at the articles, but they are all easily accessible on the
> Internet. Dino Costanzo
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
> To: OHIO-BIRDS <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sun, Dec 8, 2013 8:53 am
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Trumpeter Swans?
>
>
> Most birders have agreed on comparing their various lists by recognizing
> only those birds that are of wild origin and observed in person free and
> unrestrained, as well as correctly identified as to species. Most of us
> don't count the chukars or sharp-tailed grouse we may see here.
>         First of all, a count of 150 trumpeter swans at Killdeer Plains
> seems
> too large to me. You might be able to round up that many if you gathered
> together most of the introduced Ohio population, leaving out the large
> number of migrant tundra swans that gather at various spots--like KPWA--
> in Ohio in early winter. Silent trumpeter and tundra swans are
> devilishly difficult to discriminate in the field without direct
> comparisons.
>         Ohio is only one among several Midwestern states and provinces that
> were persuaded in the '90s by waterfowl enthusiasts to foster
> populations of trumpeters. While some of their populations introduced in
> the state have winked out, several remain, including at Killdeer Plains
> WA. Their numbers have not changed much, and they have not independently
> enlarged their Ohio range. There is no evidence wild trumpeters ever
> nested in Ohio, and verifiable records of migrant trumpeters in the good
> old days before humans started introducing alien species (or stopped
> wiping out native swans for the feather trade--a trumpeter swan has more
> feathers than any other bird species) are very hard to come by.
>         The Ohio checklist does not recognize these birds as established.
> Despite protections, their population has not grown in a normal
> anticipated way, and has winked out in certain areas and required
> artificial translocations in others. Unlike wild trumpeters, they do not
> undertake normal seasonal migrations. Trumpeter swans are of course
> established native birds in North America, and are known to have
> occurred here in small numbers as migrants back before their nearby
> populations were largely wiped out, but there are no verified records
> since then. There are a number of archaeological finds of swan bones
> from Ohio. If you want to count one, the closest wild native birds are
> hundreds of miles away, and well worth the trip. On the other hand, a
> lot of the Killdeer birds are easy to approach, and will gladly accept
> potato chips.
> Bill Whan
> Columbus
>
> On 12/7/2013 5:41 PM, Jeff Harvey wrote:
> > Recent discussions among various birders on the countability of
> > Trumpeters has me confused. Today a report of 150 Trumpeters at
> > Killdeer was posted on the listserv. Under the assumption that the
> > identification is correct, why are these birds not countable?
> >
> > The records committee bird list says that records only up to the year
> > 1900 have been accepted and that an introduction program began in
> > 1996. Am I to believe that the birds seen today are decendents from
> > introduced Ohio birds? If so, would these birds constitute an
> > established species in Ohio as is indicated in the records committee
> > checklist or not?  The checklist seems to indcate that once
> > established they would be countable.
> >
> > Even if these birds are migrants, why are they not countable?  We
> > count migrants all the time.
> >
> > How will we know when the species is established and countable?
> >
> > Jeff Harvey Mahoning County
> >
>
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> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
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> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
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