In a message dated 2/19/2002 9:41:35 PM Mountain Standard Time,
dcanning at nisquallyestuary.org writes:

> But do not simply surrender to an "estimate." That's just a $5 word
> for a guess.
>
> Any one else?


A friend once told me the best thing to do was count the number of legs and
divide by 2.

But seriously, Doug's advice is as good as any. Don't fret the "exactness"
of the tally, as long as you've used methods like those described by Doug to
arrive at your conclusion. Have fun with it. Give it your best shot and
then submit your results -- remember it's the "highest count" you can get at
any one time (don't add counts from the morning to counts later in the
day...). The Great Backyard Bird Count is, in fact, just an "estimate" of
bird distribution and population. Hopefully an educated estimate, but an
estimate just the same.

And I'd bet money that the real quantity of large flocks of birds will be u
nderestimated by the vast majority of counters. Here's the test -- find a
flock of birds (small shorebirds work best since they're not flying in and
out of a feeder). Take a picture, then count the birds. Later,
systematically count every single bird in the picture. I'll bet the photo
contains more birds than you estimated in real life... Such is life!

Cheers,

--Stacy
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Stacy Jon Peterson
4442 Sijan St. Apt. A
Mtn Home AFB, ID 83648
Elmore County; USDA zone 6a; Sunset zone 3
SJPeterson at aol.com
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HUMMINGBIRDS: www.geocities.com/trochilids
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