Not sure why I'm posting this here, but this is the thread I think of when I listen to what I mention below.
I've been listening to an audio version of
To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifelong Obsession, by Dan Koeppel, which has prompted me to wonder if any of the members on this forum keep life lists and, if so, how many bird species he or she has recorded seeing. Koeppel's book about his father and his birding obsession is fascinating. It's amazing what the a dozen or so birders whose lists have accumulated to around the
7,000 number (I'm pretty sure I heard the worldwide species count is approaching 10,000) go through to reach these heights. I think I have about a dozen checked off in the back of my Peterson's Field Guide ... did that the day I bought the book.
Traveling the world searching for rare birds seems like a nice pastime. I think I'll retire now and go do it.
Whip