Norm & Fran: Hey! A huge, hearty congratulations on a great milestone, 400!!! Hand-clapping, applause, and jubilation are in order for certain!!! And you got some great birds, too! Some of them I hope to pick up next week in Washington and British Columbia. It definitely sounds as if your planning went well. I find it very satisfying to plan as well as to fulfill it. And, yes, 400 *IS* elusive. I admit that last year, I set out to break 400 in a year for only the second time in my life. It was a seemingly innocuous goal. I reached the 400 mark by early July <throat clearing here--ahem--finger-pointing implied>. So I said to myself, "When will I have this opportunity again?" <ha-ha-ha>. So I did some planning and some traveling and broke the even more elusive 500-mark. This I did on a *almost* normal work year with just 4 wks of vacation. Ok. Not everybody has 4 wks off, but this wasn't every year either. I was elated. It had seemed like an impossible dream. And I visited some absolutely wonderful places. What I did not realize, however, was that I had the BUG. You know. That little voice inside that says, "I wonder just how many birds I could see in a year". And it doesn't go away. I started this year working six 70-hr weeks in a row. I only had 5 days of birding until mid-February. I was going through birding withdrawals <grin>. It was at the end of January that I picked up a little gift I had been given by my non-birding brother for Christmas--Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman. I devoured the book in two days. I decided to be reasonable. 600 would be a mark I could make. I'm already going to Attu. Let's see. 537 last year. Add 50 more for Attu/Gambell/Alaska. That makes 587. Just 13 away from 600. That's it. I'll go for 600. That way I can bird, have fun, and even miss a few of my targets and not be worried. Besides, I decided I deserved a birding break from the work schedule. I checked the internet. Airfare wars! Whoa! And so began this year's adventure. By mid-June, I'd hit 600, my original target. When will I ever do this again? 700 was the new mark... So, my friends Norm & Fran. The year is only a little over 1/2 over. Hmmmm. Is 500 dancing in front of you? Tee-hee-hee. Just being a little devil. I know it is. If you have a chance, I'd encourage you. The listing is fun, but the adventures that go with it are memories you will have for a lifetime! Besides, when will you ever do this again? <repetitively redundant deja-vu all over again!> Well, I gotta run. It's off to North Carolina for a couple of pelagics out of Hatteras on Saturday and Sunday. What fun! Wish all of you Ospreyers could join me! I'll be back Monday night. Back to work for a couple days and then off to Seattle. Wheeee! Oh. Norm & Fran, were you wondering what birds you had that I still need? Black-footed Albatross, Black Swift, Vaux's Swift, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, and Crested Myna. -Greg Miller Lusby, MD