I'd mentioned blind and sight-impaired birders way back near the beginning of this thread too. While I acknowledge that what we call our hobby tends to emphasise the visual nature of it: bird spotting, bird watching, surely the whole point of a list isn't just that you've seen (or heard) a bird, but that you've correctly identified what species it was.
For most people that will have been by sight (and I count myself among them), but those who can't see and can only hear birds aren't any less birders than anyone else. If they (or anyone else) can correctly identify a bird by sound then surely it counts on their list and it should also be acceptable for comparison with other lists, again I stress, the importance is really on identification, not on sight.
The problem lies with the majority making the rules and not considering the experiences of others. It happens in all walks of life.
In my own experience though, I've no real interest in comparing my list with others. I don't even care how others record their birds, although it's important to be true to yourself and not list birds that you couldn't identify, especially if you DO compare your list with others.
My list is for my own uses, although I do contribute to BirdTrack and the like.
