Hi all,

I've been birding for eons (okay, what seems like eons, but is, in reality,
decades), but have only just started compiling a real life list.

I know that birds in captivity or being rehabilitated do not "count" as an
official life list bird, and that only positive identifications by sight or
sound can be considered valid. Are there any other standard list rules I
should know about?

I've been putting it together in an Excel spreadsheet with the following
information:
- Bird's common name
- Taxonomic name
- Date seen (for birds I commonly see, I'm just putting in the first date I
see them, with a note. When I have specific back dates that are positive,
I've been back-filling them. But that's only when I have a record of a
sighting on a specific date)
- Location seen
- Gender
- Activity (that is, what they were doing when I saw them)
- Commonly seen (this is a yes/no column)
- Photo (as in, do I have a photograph of the bird in my collection that I
have taken while birding at any time)
- Additional notes

My question to those of you who have been compiling life lists for a while
is this:
What other information, if any, are you putting on your lists?

If you'd prefer not to post your answer broadband, please feel free to reply
to me only.
Thanks in advance!

-Jacki Bricker
Woodinville, Washington