I know many people take pride in coming up with an absolute number but . . .
how accurate are those numbers or how important? You're only counting what
you can see and part of the local flock may be just over the hill or passed
by two minutes ago. My practice has been to count individuals up to ten,
then use 10 plus, 15 plus or minus, 25 plus or minus, 50 plus or minus,
100 plus or minus, 500 plus or minus, 1000 plus or minus, etc. My thought
is, the larger the number the less important it is to be precise. So I use
the density method and note 15 Bushtits without counting every one. Of
course if I saw 16 Bramblings I'd count them all! Give me 10 lashes (plus
or minus) with binocular strap if I'm missing something (other than 1000
Snow Geese.)

Herb Curl

h.curl at hazmat.noaa.gov "You may be only young once but you can be
Hazmat/NOAA, 7600 Sand Pt. Wy., NE immature the rest of your life."
Seattle, WA 98115-0070
(206) 526-6272