Started birding Christmas 1976 when I was given my first pair of bins. Had the foresight to start listing birds I had seen on January 1 1977. My first birding trips away from my native Leicestershire were to North Norfolk where I was fortunate to stay at Nancy's. Happy days. Had an ideal local patch in Cadeby Quarry (sadly now much restored back to farmland). First twitch was the 1982 Marmora's Warbler, three of us in my MG was a little short on space. I was a Scilly regular until 2004. I worked for Point Reyes Bird Observatory in California for five field seasons in the nineties. I have lived in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cheshire, Flintshire and now Denbighshire. Five favourite birds Waxwing, Swallow, Nuthatch, Dipper and Grey Wagtail and Varied Thrush (six then) and Wheatear (seven then). Five favourite birding locations Bryher, Bolinas Lagoon, North Norfolk coast, outer Point Reyes and Mallorca. Five best UK twitches, Kenidjack Yellow throated Vireo, Holkham Red breasted Nuthatch, Lunsford Park Golden winged Wabler, The Needles Alpine Accentor and Nottingham Cedar Waxwing and now Royal Tern at Llandudno (nice to get a mega so close to home)