On Sat, 22 May 1999, Mary Manson wrote:

> I have been waiting for someone to explain to me why I felt that ID by ear
> is not acceptable - just in case somebody *really* thought it was .....
> and this seems to be a fairly good explanation on why NOT .....

ID by ear is not only *really* acceptable, in some species it is the
easiest/best method. Some individual birds may not be able to be
definitively IDed -- whether by sight or by song -- but that is hardly a
justification to give up all IDing.

Dale Goble
Moscow