After an epic effort, both Rob and Sonia Adderley have finally and by their own admission, thankfully (!), completed their own county year listing odyssey.

After a frankly enormous and often bewildering effort, Rob finished on 176 and Sonia 172 although both totals do not include Caspian Gull which is still currently not a full species in it's own right but which hopefully in the near future should become one, so pushing their totals to 177 and 173 respectively, with the inclusion of the early 2006 bird they saw in the county.

Both should be very pleased with their totals which in the true tradition of county year listing include more than afew trials and tribulations, which I look forward to reading about in Rob's account in the forthcoming 2006 County Bird Report. Rob now moves clearly into 2nd spot on the year listing rankings (and it could have so easily been 1st...........) and Sonia, for the time being at least, into equal 3rd with Pete Berry but easily the highest placed female birder.

So, who will pick up the gauntlet in 2007? Is there anyone daft.......erm I mean brave enough, to give it a go? If you think it's easy, next time you see a haggard looking man birding in the county, a man a shadow of his former self, a man who winces and trembles at the mention of 'county year lists', remember- that's Rob Adderley, that is!

Well done to you both.........................now who's still the daddy?

Ian McKerchar, January 2007

NOTE: In late 2007, BOURC split Caspian Gull into it's own species.