Hi Tweeters,

It's interesting to see the actual data coming in. Black-throated blue
warbler - even. Ross's Gull - about even when Dennis Paulson went down,
about 7male to 5female among those I saw the thursday I went down.
Zoology grad students at UW: 35m, 35f (I counted pictures in the rogue's
gallery in Kincaid Hall today. As Dave Wright noted, grad studentism may
not be totally equivalent). Some visible females for counterexamples to
the trend: (as though this thread needed more fuel): Phebe Snetsinger,
Claudia Wilds, Berna Weissman (those from anywhere near NYC will know that
last name)...

A cynical suggestion: the criteria offered for "hotshot" birders,
including serving on records committees, writing books,generating
big ABA lists, and for that matter posting to tweeters, suggest to me not
only accomplishment, but a certain desire for others to recognize your
level of accomplishment. Is it significant that the words "poobah" and
"status" have been bandied about in the discussion? I don't know how one
would sort out the visibility factor from the competence factor, but I don't
think there is complete overlap there.



Chris (guilty as charged) Hill
Seattle, WA
cehill at u.washington.edu