Although people of other nationalities are welcome to post as well, some of the questions may not be as relevant.
But anyway, I would be interested to know your answers to the following questions:
1) How long did it take for you to reach 200 on your life list (in your country only)
2) If you wanted to, when were you first allowed to go twitching?
3) Did any common birds elude you for a shameful amount of time?
4) Which bird was which milestone (like ____ for 200th species, ____ for 250th and so on up to however many you can muster)
Happy birding/twitching/listing/whatever else one bothers to do,
Sam
1). can't exactly remember.
2). a Baird's Sandpiper at Staines Res was my first ever 'twitch' (went with my dad) which I think was back in 1981 or similar, looked back on my so-called notes only recently on the bird and am now convinced I was watching a bloody Curlew Sand ...
3). yep although not particularly commom, Cirl Bunting, something which I only cleared up in 2000 (I think).
4). can't remember what 200th or 250th was ... 300th was Marsh Sand at Cliffe Pools and 350th was Baltimore Oriole (or 351st) ... not on 400 yet, and unlikely ever to hit that number as I only county list these days, so no comment.
edit: I think!
I started birding aged 9 right at the end of 1991. So:
1) I can't exactly remember, but about a year and a half...
2) the first rare bird I twitched was Amerian Wigeon at Vane Farm RSPB in March 92, although the first biggish twitch was Ross's Gull in Aberdeenshire in January 93.
3) err... it took me well over a year to see my first Jay, and I didn't have little owl, nightingale or LS woodpecker until 2000, when I relocated to Essex.
4) don't remember 200, but 250 was Cirl Bunting in 1995, 300 was Red-t Pipit in 1998 and, I've only just realised, 350 was penduline tit a few months ago...
I would add, however, that I don't really put much effort into keeping my lists up to date these days....