Hi birders, I hate to pose this question since I know this bird has been so thoroughly enjoyed by so many birders. However, I've been getting a fair number of inquiries if the bird is "wild" and therefore acceptable on their life lists (as replies to the RBA). Anyway, I'm unsure how to answer anyone since I don't have any authority on the matter. My response is usually something along the lines of "here's what some think, here's what others think, here's what I think, but I certainly don't have any authority on the issue." Also I mentioned that they should wait to see what the records committee says. To me, the bird is rather suspect, not just because it's a waterfowl, but because of the company it keeps and its approachability. To quote a user from rarebird.org: "The duck is still present on the Buckeye Quarry. He's been entertaining, whistling and flying around the quarry, coming up close to people, being fed by children and photographers." (lbhush) Also, "It seems very tame, with some tame mallards, and you can get quite close." (lbhush) The topic was discussed on the rarebird.org forum thanks to Greg Links, who cautioned about the bird, but it didn't get very far. It's an important topic, however, since there are only a few records for Ohio. Just curious to see what the sentiment of the rest of the community is. Good birding, Sean --- Sean Williams, '11 Undergraduate of Ornithology of Dr. Jed Burtt Ohio Wesleyan University HWCC 724 Delaware, OH 43015 617-470-4094 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]