The pipes of pan and listing

It's all out there - you've just got to open your eyes and LOOK

Lists. I've never hidden my fascination with them, my upkeep of them, but have always pointed out that I'm not a chaser of them. Maybe this is unusual, in as much as if you are nerdish enough to list all that you see, then it is highly likely that you will also go out of your way to keep on adding to them with a manic need. Maybe my need is purely passive - having a list to record my efforts is enough in itself.

My biggest list - both in scope and number - is my pan-species list; that is ALL of the living things that I have seen in the UK. As a listing project this is about as wide-ranging and challenging as you can get. It has become my one and only list in a way as it comprises all of my other lists combined. So I have to service all of the 37 sublists that feeds it.... confused? Don't be... go online and visit the new pan-listers website and take a look. You can find it at http://www.brc.ac.uk/psl/

It is still in its infancy, so there are going to be some teething problems. You can look at the recorder rankings, see who has been spending far too much time looking at smuts and rusts and who really needs to get out into the field a bit more. And you never know, you may be tempted to dip a toe into the water - it is very warm and welcoming!

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