Patchwork Challenge

As you all know we are keeping count of the PWC cumulative total of species found on our patches but we are a bit worried a few may slip by without us noticing. So, below is the list we have compiled so far, 278 species. With the end of the month fast approaching and everyone posting their end of August scores could you please add into the Highlights column any species you have seen on patch this year that is not on the list? 300 ain't far away! Cheers Species American Golden plover arctic skua Arctic Tern Avocet Balearic Shearwater Barn owl Barnacle goose Barred Warbler Bar-tailed godwit Bean goose Bearded tit Bewick’s Swan Bittern black guillemot Black Kite Black Redstart black tern Blackbird blackcap Black-headed Gull Black-necked grebe Black-tailed godwit black-throated diver black-winged stilt B...

July, a birders nemesis, time to dig out the moth trap, butterfly book, wild flower book, anything to get over the tedium of Julys birding. That’s my view on July, with no wader habitat and east coast sea watching being pretty poor I find the month to be very dull on patch. And it appears that I’m not the only one who thinks this judging by the highlights comments sent in such as ‘not July’, ‘nil’, ‘terrible month’ etc etc. For every dull day in Hemsby though there are great days elsewhere as waders arrive and the seawatching in the west hots up. And its sea watching where we start and we head over to Galley Head, Cork. Patch old timer Colin B had a sea watch to dream of on patch as he found not one, not two but three Fea’s Petrels in one afternoon! Incredible and you can read more about it here http://galleyheadbirding.blogspot.ie/2013/08/feas-fun.html , including Cory’s, Great and Balearic Shearwaters and Long-tailed Skuas. Can’t see a day like that happening on my patch!...