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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JWN Andrewes" data-source="post: 3272282" data-attributes="member: 7131">Well that’s the key of course. You have to be prepared to go a lot further for non-ticks than you would otherwise. Set aside as much time as possible, and in that time go for everything. Never think “oh, there’ll be an easier/closer one of those later in the year” because there may well not be, and if there is it may turn up at the same time as other good stuff (hence eg faffing around for Dotterels in Humberside in spite of having a Speyside trip booked; it was the best use of my time on those days, and meant I could allocate more time on other birds in Scotland). Don’t think Lesser Canada was countable at the time (not even sure if the bird I saw has been accepted) but as a potential world tick I figured it was worth the insurance (I’d recommend getting a few extra over the 300 if you can, just in case one or two later turn out to be escapes, hybrids, victims of lumping, sleep-deprivation hallucinations and the like). It is hard work, you have to maintain a high level of focus over the entire year and it’ll cost you, but it is also a lot of fun and you get to see some great birds, a handful of which, if you’re really lucky, you’ll still be able to remember ten years later.CheersJames</blockquote>