This is a bit harsh, BB. There's obviously a lot of truth in what you say and, of course, there's a huge benefit to the studied approach to ID of experienced birders, but Jenny's approach is the way most people, and non-expert birders, perceive and describe birds. They know what they know and in a way they can't verbalise clearly or technically, they know this bird was different. In fact this 'zen ID' is what we all use all the time and that the learned analytical approach is only used once something is identified as anomalous.
Sometimes, of course, you're right - they're just common birds in unfamiliar contexts, but frequently the observant lay person is on to something. A significant number of vagrants are initially spotted by lay people who have a good eye for the unusual. My mum's always doing this - it really frustrates me - but some of her apparently vague and long-winded descriptions of 'funny birds' have turned out, from photos, subsequent searches, or local gen, to be unconventional but accurate descriptions of Shorelark, Great Grey Shrike, Goshawk and Hen Harrier.
Graham
