Jim, your points are interesting and actually answer the question I was posing. Let's assume some arctic bird looked like one of my backyard birds. You could rule it out simply by saying the bird was out of range. In that case you can infer a species. That can also be done with bird calls. Dowitchers are an example of a species that looks very similar but sounds very different. If you hear the call it can be placed with the picture.
So your first point, "if you can't clearly identify a bird, then what difference does it make in counting it", I agree with. But there are multiple ways of IDing a bird other than looks. In this case migration was the question. I assume from the lack of responses that my supposition was totally hosed.
There is no "do better next time" for me in the field. I am colorblind and rely, in this case, totally on my photographs. With my wife's, I determine color or use the ID forum for help. My help when color is a determining factor.
When I first reviewed my photos I didn't see any identifying color at all (under tail). I had two people confirm my ID however. I showed them the bird and simply asked what do you see. When I was told the correct color, without leading the witness, I got my bird. Just to make sure, I also measured it. It is sitting next to a chain-link fence, easily measured and compared to the length of the bird. It is well over 12".
This is the third time this week that I have seen an odd pair. The first was the flickers, then a pair of red-tails, and this morning a pair of Harriers. I could not find any info on whether flickers travel in mating pairs, but both hawks are labeled as solitary.
Thanks for the help.
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