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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andy Adcock" data-source="post: 3296459" data-attributes="member: 31710">Hi Paul,we have met at twitches in the distant past and though I don't twitch anymore, I have nothing against it.  For me the decision to quit was financial, £500 spent on one bird represents a flight to e.g Gambia where I can see hundreds for the same cost.Anyway, re you comments above, there is undoubted quality and commitment to birding and conservation within the twitching ranks but there are also those that are list oriented and know 'nowt' about birds other than how many they've seen in the UK!It is thought that the urge to keep lists has it roots in autism and whilst not all are equally afflicted, there are extreme examples.  I personally know one individual who started listing trains, then planes and buses and when he wasn't getting enough ticks on those lists he moved to birds.  On one occasion I had a lift to a twitch with him, I fell asleep and woke up to find myself alone in the car. I looked around and spotted this guy on tip-toes jotting down the registration number of fire engines through a closed fire station door! He also listed real ales, and whiskies and a proviso of me getting a lift was that I kept a note pad on my knee to note the names of any Eddie Stobart lorries we passed........If I could afford to twitch and travel the World I would but something had to give. I still make the exception if a World tick is on offer and the last species I twitched were the Parrot Crossbills in my home County of Notts, simply as I'd never seen one anywhere else. Prior to that it was the Devon Murrelet for the same reason.It is still a free World after all and people are free to spend their time and money doing what they want and people are different..........Andy</blockquote>

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