Page 498 of Peterjohn's 2001 2nd edition of Birds of Ohio has the Baird's Sparrow account.
"On April 22, 1951, the passage of a cold front produced a spectacular movement of migrating birds along the south shore of Lake Erie. As Milton Trautman surveyed this movement of South Bass Island, he noticed an unusual sparrow among the multitudes of common sparrows. It was similar to a Savannah, but had an ochraceous central crown stripe and face pattern, while the streaking on its underparts was finer than the Savannah's, with only a narrow band of streaks across the upper breast (Trautman 1956). After carefully studying and describing the bird, Dr. Trautman concluded it was a Baird's Sparrow. His sighting provides the only acceptable record of this accidental visitor to Ohio and one of very few extralimital records from the eastern United States. Baird's Sparrows normally breed in the Dakotas, Montana and adjacent southern Canada and winter in the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico (AOU 1998)."
No mention that Trautman shot the bird. Unless Peterjohn is neglecting to inform us of the presence of a specimen of this bird, then this qualifies, as I said, as an accepted first Ohio state record based on a sight record and field notes only.
Carlton Schooley (Tuscarawas)
On Tuesday, January 30, 2018, 5:27:00 PM EST, Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Carlton--
Thanks for the references. I'm less than happy with off-hand references
to OKs offered by unknown persons. The Baird's sparrow, backed up by
Trautman, is another matter, also because a specimen was involved. Your
search through Peterjohn will avail you nothing on the
tern. These days species are not added without data; if there are photos
or descriptions at least they should be available. Peterjohn need not
repeat these data, but the should be made available, and the Bird
Records Committee would be a good place to keep them; otherwise
you will have to look--not through your Peterjohn--to find them. Why not
store them at the OBRC?
Thanks,
Bill
On 1/30/2018 4:29 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
> I'm sure that, besides the lack of captivity issue and the seasonal
> movements in SA issue, there must have been persuasive field notes...
> There are several other species on the Ohio state list for which
> there is no photo or specimen. Or for which there was no photo or
> specimen for the first accepted record. One that comes immediately
> to mind is Baird's Sparrow. I'd have to look through my Peterjohn to
> find the others... Carlton SchooleyStrasburg (Tuscarawas)
>
>
> On Tuesday, January 30, 2018, 3:43:31 PM EST, Bill Whan
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I have always been troubled with the acceptance of the Large-billed
> Tern to the Ohio list. There is no specimen, no photograph, and no
> precedence. It was reported seen by three observers on a sandbar in
> Mahoning County on 29 May 1954. It was said to have been the second
> appearance of this species in North America (the other was from 1949
> in Illinois); I am taking this information from "The Birds of Ohio"
> and there have been other reports I haven't seen). Reported supports
> of the ID were that the species was unknown in captivity and its
> appearance corresponds with its seasonal movements in south America
> (all data from Peterjohn, "The Birds of Ohio." p. 250). Lots of
> birders' reports of far less rare species are rejected for lack of a
> photo or a specimen, yet this occurrence seems to have been accepted.
> The Birds of Ohio states that large-billed tern reports here have
> been questioned, while this occurrence was accepted because the
> species is "unknown in captivity and its appearance in Ohio
> correspondences with its seasonal movements in South America." The
> occurrence lacks hard evidence and I wonder why this far-fetched
> appearance, lacking persuasive evidence, is still regarded as
> legitimate. If there a better set of hard evidence, where is it? Why
> has it been accepted to the Ohio list, when others with just as
> unlikely have been laughed off? Bill Whan Columbus
>
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