Hi, I started birding in the UK many years ago. By the time I left for the Seattle in 1994, it was common, sometimes compulsory, especially if you had got a tick to make a donation. Back then it was a UK pound, probably more now.

Usually, the money went to a charity of the home-owners choice. If on a bird reserve, it went to them (the RSPB or another Birding organisation).

Bear in mind that typical twitches in the UK often attract many more birders than typically seen in WA. The famous Golden-winged Warbler twitch attracted about 3000 birders per day for the 1st weekend - the news broke on national radio on the Friday evening: a rallying call to all birders in the country. Feb 1989 - happy days. I believe the biggest twitch ever! But no donations for that bird!

A young couple hosted an Olive-backed Pipit in their back garden in Bracknell, not far from Windsor in 1984. It was a postage stamp size garden and you could only see the bird by being invited into their house. The chose the donation money go to replacing their hall carpet - no one begrudged them after hundreds of people walked through the house to the kitchen to see the rare pipit.

Sometimes I even miss the crowds of twitchers!

Cheers, Steve

Steve Pink Edmonds, WA mailto: pirangas at hotmail.com