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Message: <blockquote data-quote="temmie" data-source="post: 3275676" data-attributes="member: 58016">Andy,the only remedy and therapy is to keep writing good reports with all the gen and practical stuff, and spread them on the internet. ;-)A good report should have the following: 1. A general idea about the aim of travel, the experience of birding in nearby countries / areas previous to the trip, and the cost of the trip.This is the best way to know what to expect from the report, given the reader's aims / budget / experience.  2. descriptions how to get to the birding sites, indications of travel time, and a travel schedule;This is especially useful while using public transport. It helps in preparing a realistic schedule. 3. contact info of hotels / lodges / guides / rental companies / drivers / and of course your own email adressEspecially for destinations where some preparation from home could come in useful (e.g. to reserve some Amazonian lodges, birding hotels, guides that are often fully occupied...4. site descriptions / target birds / missed species / + info on how to find those target birds + GPS Mention the trails you birded on, what you searched for, what you searched but didn't find, stake-outs / fruiting trees / gullies / etc. And no crap about "woow we saw that bird but I can't tell where because it gives my guide an edge". If so, don't write a report. Just be cautious with endangered birds that are subject to trapping and hunting (e.g. only provide GPS through email). 5. factors influencing the succes/failure of birding (traffic, entrance fees, restrictions, permits, weather)Some things are awfully expensive, some days traffic is awfully bad, some days are rained out, some places require luck to get there early morning. Mention this. 6. Annotated trip lists, especially some info on good species.Annotated trip lists are very useful if you had a good trip with keen birders. In this way, you have a better understanding of what birds are really possible to see (or not to see) in a certain area. e.g. if a die-hard group of 4 experienced birders didn't see a quite common species in a certain area, and you are visiting that area with the assumption that you are going to see that bird... -> chances will be low. if a single unexperienced traveller didn't see that species in that area, maybe you will succeed. 7. Optional: daily log, pictures, self-drawn mapsA daily log can be useful, but only if it provides an indication of time schedule during the day. Pictures can be useful (especially from accomodation, landscape, landmarks). Maps are very handy for some trails without any good google maps coverage (less so these days)last but not least: The most important thing to keep in mind when writing a report:write it for the one who reads it (as if you were going there and needed all that info)!It takes some time and experience to write good reports in this way... I am still struggling, but I hope I am improving with every report (currently writing one on C-Peru).</blockquote>

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