The birding fraternity has seen a shift in attitudes recently, with many birders turning their attention from twitching towards rarity finding. As a result, there also seems to have been an upturn in the profile watching a local patch. The advantages of watching a local patch are obvious. Low fuel costs and travel time aside, great pleasure can be derived from getting to learn a place inside out, observing how the seasons change, and getting value from common species that otherwise wouldn’t get a second glance. Throw in the potential for the odd rare bird or scarcity and to me, you have a really exciting, involving way to enjoy your birding. So what could enhance the patch watchers enjoyment a little? Well, perhaps adding an element of competition would do the trick. We’re a competitive bunch, us birders, both with our peers and ‘internally’ as well. We like a gloat, we like to add things to lists, and we like to know what the numbers are. So why not see if we can add a ...
Hi from the Patchwork Challenge team! This is an exciting one. This is where you, the public, get to decide on the Best Find of Spring #PWC2026. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who submitted an entry for the competition. All the entries are fantastic and we have thoroughly enjoyed reading through them all. We hope you enjoyed compiling your submissions, but most importantly enjoyed the moment of finding the bird! However, now is the time we head over to the public to vote for the lucky winners! There are three Patchwork Challenge Champion pin badges up for grab so please take your time to read through these submissions and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Remember, it isn't necessarily about how rare the bird is in a national sense, it is also about how much of a personal achievement and how exciting it was to find that bird on your patch! Mark Andrews - Kilnsea 3km² Since relocating from Dorset to Kilnsea in 2018 my garden has been the epice...
Hello from the Patchwork Challenge team! June was about average, and was probably the quietest month of the year so far for #PWC2026 but there were a few glimmers of excellence, and there was still a trickle of late spring drift migrants, particularly in the northern isles. Just one 10km patch in Shetland picked up four national rarities. Other stuff noted included the first of Britain Western Reef Heron in Conwy, Squacco Heron and Kentish Plover in Kent, Pacific Golden Plover and Pallid Swift in Yorkshire amongst a whole load of other stuff! July is an exciting month, and in the birding calendar is the start of autumn although as I write this a Green/Greenish Warbler has started to sing at Bempton, almost certainly an exceedingly late spring migrant?! Otherwise, things to expect this month are the returning waders, with good numbers of common waders on the move. Spotted Redshanks are early movers and they can be looking amazing in their summer plumage at this time of year. Black-ta...
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