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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steve Babbs" data-source="post: 1428249" data-attributes="member: 7122">The size of you're UK list makes no difference to your birding skill if you are getting experience of birds abroad. But, and I mean no disrespect, if you've only seen about 200 species ever there are an awful lot of species you could bump into that you have no experience of.  Seeing birds generally before makes them easier to identify when you see them again.  (I know this isn't the case if you just 'tick and run' - but this is much much rarer then many people make out and when it does happen it's usually because the person seeing the bird has seen loads abroad).  I know my own British birding has got better recently because  nearly all my trips were to far flung tropical places with - in some cases - no over lap with UK birds.  One consequence of become a father is I now do about a 50:50 split between long-haul trips and the Western Paleartic giving me more experience of rarer UK migrants and vagrants.There's no getting away from the fact that 100 species can be easily seen in a day in many places in the UK it's not being rude it's being honest.  I passed 400 before buying a car - although of course I got lots of lifts from other birders.  As Colin says if you have birding as a 'no 1 past time' you will have a considerably bigger life list than 100 or 182- if you keep one.  The fact that you don't means you probably have more important things in your life and it may well mean you are a more rounded well balanced person but it does mean you are not at present a very keen birder.Birding is a hobby where there are many obsessional people  - and I'd include myself.  If the question is what is a respectable list among people who aren't obsessed then it'd be different.  So to be blunt 180 odd is not a 'respectable list' among keen birders - even non-twitchers but that is in no way meant as a critism of anyone as a person it's just the way it is.Everyone should enjoy their birding in the way they want.Sorry feel I've waffled here!</blockquote>

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