Bird Watcher's Digest Magazine

Milton B. Trautman was a serious birder. He was a largely self-taught scientist, and his accomplishments were legendary. Born and bred in the heyday of "shotgun ornithology," Trautman shot and collected more bird species in his home state of Ohio than most Buckeye State birders have tallied with binoculars.

The Kirtland's warbler, however, long eluded Trautman. No real surprise—he was active from the early 1900s up to the 1980s, and this rare warbler was even scarcer during much of that period than it is today. His dry spell ended on the evening of May 24, 1954, on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. Thedominant feature on the island—renowned in spring and fall for its numbers of migrant songbirds—is the 352-foot-tall Perry's Monument that commemorates Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's 1813 victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. The tower is brightly lit at night and unfortunately lures scores of songbirds, many of which strike the monument and are killed. Trautman made a habit of strolling the tower's base at night and documenting kills. On that fateful May evening, he was collecting and recording tower strikes when thunk! A falling object glanced off his head and tumbled to his feet. One can only imagine Milt's surprise when he saw that it was a Kirtland's warbler.