My species listing started somewhere around the age of about 5 when I started identifying birds and by the age of 10 I was keeping a life list, county list and year lists. In my teens and through my twenties I gradually diversified into botany, the more popular insects groups and fungi, and in the last 15 years I have tackled lichens, spiders, bees and wasps (I am Norfolk county recorder for solitary bees and aculeate wasps) and I am currently trying to delve deeper into the Diptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera. In 2013 the 1000sp for 1ksq challenge was a great catalyst to stretching my skills into new taxa and I made 6th place with 1113 species (who is not competitive?). Work and family commitments stop me getting around the UK as much as I would like and most of my recording is currently within 50 miles of my home in East Norfolk. My day job as Site Manager for the RSPB Mid Yare Reserves gives me quite a few species to go at without travelling too far so I shouldn't complain.