Sorry, I can't resist responding to this since a reply
immediately leapt into my head upon reading it. And
yes, the only dumb question IS the one not asked. I
haven't met the person yet who knows ALL the answers.

Anyway, my feeling on your question of how to account
for things you saw before you happened to get an
"official" life list into your hands is, "go for it."
As long as, in your deepest innards, you feel that you
know what you saw is what you think it is, go ahead.
Some birds are not something you can confuse with
anything else, in a particular region. After all,
there are always those occasions when we don't happen
to have our books or lists with us--I either make
mental or written notes, and then look it up and mark
it down later. Sometimes much later. I either feel
sure about something or I don't. If I don't, whether
it is 2 seconds after seeing it or 2 months later, I
don't mark it down. I might make a note about it.
I'm just an amateur but got my first bird book when I
was 11 years old. So, Here's a hearty WELCOME TO BIRDING!
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