Tweets,

There is no doubt whatsoever that the bird Marian saw, and photographed,
is/was a Verdin. However to say it is as likely that this bird arrived in
Washington unaided as the bird in Santa Barbara County, California verges on
incredible. Kern County (only about 100 kilometers to the east of Santa
Barbara County) has a small population of Verdin, as does Los Angeles and
San Diego Counties. These population of Verdin are all on the east side of
the Sierras. The Sierras effectively block almost all Verdin from coastal
counties (or parts thereof) of California (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los
Angeles, Orange, & San Diego). There are very few records from those
counties, or portions, that lie west of the Sierras. To think that a range
of mountains would effectively block passage of this sedentary species and
then assume that one would cross several thousand miles of territory
(including mountains and high desert plateaus) on it's own, without aid, to
get to Grant County is hoping for a lot. Not that it is not impossible,
stranger things have happened.

Incidentally, this is not the first Verdin photographed in Washington, nor
will it be the first record submitted to the Washington Bird Records
Committee. I encourage observers to submit a record of this sighting (and
any other, regardless of how improbable they may seem). In the future the
naysayers (myself included) may be proven wrong and Verdin, or some other
species, may eventually establish some pattern of vagrancy heretofore not
known. In which case the original records will be readdressed and someone
will get credit for a 1st state record.

The nice thing about lists is that they are your own, and I would agree with
Jim that however you keep your list is your business. If you choose to list
according to some form of standard rules I suggest reviewing the American
Birding Association (ABA) for typical guidelines, however in the end how you
keep your list is up to you. Whatever makes you comfortable, brings you
pleasure, and keeps you birding is the right thing for you.

Cheers

Doug Schonewald
Moses Lake, WA