On Mon, 23 Sep 1996, Michael Hobbs wrote:

> Golden-crowned Kinglet? The size may be too small, though.
>
> I find it is extremely hard to post-facto ID birds from descriptions
> like this. The viewer has probably corrupted their own memory in trying
> to describe and categorize the unfamiliar bird.

Yes, it is hard, but doing this can also help. I've got a few ideas, and
matching mine with some suggestions from the list can help to eliminate
wild guesses and extreme rarities. And it helps me in my identifications,
as I find myself asking many more questions of other people than I do of
myself when I spot an unknown.

Every little bit helps us beginners!

Susan Collicott
camel at serv.net
Seattle, WA