Patchwork Challenge

Thinking of Gateshead doesn’t immediately invoke images of awe inspiring natural places or breath-taking wildlife encounters. The area’s raw and often tarnishing industrial heritage was cemented in the mind with the installation of the now (in)famous Angel of the North, encapsulating what many folk envisage when Gateshead is mentioned. However, seek and you shall find vast areas of rolling countryside (over half of  Gateshead's  countryside!), teeming with wildlife just waiting to be discovered. One such wildlife haven is Burdon Moor, my local patch.  Roughly 4km directly west of the Angel of the North, Burdon Moor is one of the highest points in the area, showcasing panoramic views of both the Gateshead and Co. Durham countryside. Originally lowland heathland, this rare habitat was lost to agricultural “improvements” and opencast mining around 100 years ago. In an attempt to restore this location to its once glorious past, Gateshead Council instigat...

The  Bresser & Forest Optics  Best Find Competition marks the pinnacle of the Patchwork  year.  This prestigious award goes to the lucky patcher who turns up the years best bird. A bird that causes other discerning patch birders to turn green at the gills with envy. The fine people at Bresser & Forest Optics have once again demonstrated monumental generosity and have donated a pair of Bresser Montana 8.5 x 45 binoculars worth a grand total of £665.00 . A fine prize that will be awarded to the winner come years end when the results are collated and the votes cast.  To many birders, August marks the start of Autumn. Gone are the Summer doldrums, the days spent observing butterflies and the warm yet somewhat tedious days of July. August provides a much needed jolt of invigoration to many birders as the first scarce migrants begin to trickle through and a myriad of marvellous seabirds grace our coastal watchpoints. To many, ...

Recently I was asked to join the prestigious ranks of the Patchwork Challenge team, a challenge I welcomed with open arms. I have participated in the Patchwork Challenge since the beginning and as such find myself honoured to have been invited to blog, tweet and otherwise help with the challenge. As you will no doubt be seeing my name crop up on the blog from time to time, and may well receive the odd email from me in reference to finds and such I thought I should provide a little background so that you know just who it is you are speaking to. I'm James, a twenty-two year old naturalist and birder from the North-East of England. As I said above, I have participated in PWC since the outset and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Anyone that follows my blog will know that I have a special place in my heart for Stobswood, a rather barren and hideously under-birded site that falls within the Inland North mini league. This is a site that I have watched since a very ear...

Ben Moyes stayed top of the Inland East Anglia comparative minileague as his score surged to 118% after adding Ringed Plover in August. Nick Robinson stayed in second and 5% behind after adding Tawny Owl. Mike McCarthy at Taverham and Ringland displaces Ben Rackstraw and moves into third spot after adding a monster 23% since his last update. Jim Bradley also passed 100% and closes in on 4th thanks to an Osprey. Neither of the top two entered a score for August so it it as you were and Ashley McElwee closes right up on them at Felmingham after a 17 point month including flyover Dotterel and Black-tailed Godwit. Have we got a three way race? Nick Moran managed to make headway thanks to Tree Pipit, Firecrest and Osprey at BTO HQ whilst there was a Red Kite for Rob Lucking at Colkirk. Darren Oakley-Martin managed to add Redstart on the Bedfordshire Fens. Finally Drew Lyness managed to add Green Sandpiper and Spotted Flycatcher at UEA.

Another quiet month in the NGB minileague with only a few competitors publishing their score, namely due to commitments at university and so forth. Its a hard life for young patchers! Despite this the comparative league appears to have been shaken up somewhat with Amy Robjohns overtaking yours truly (James Common) to claim to the top spot and Johnathan Scragg falling to third place. Amy's leap from fifth place to first was aided by some good birds at Titchfield in August including five individual Wood Sandpipers . With only a minute fraction between Amy and James at the top of the comparative league it will only take one good bird during september to clinch it during the coming month. Further down the table the lineup of Patchwork stalwarts remains largely the same. No shock changes in the points league on this occasion though a few competitors did make gains with Cathal Forkan jumping up a place, Amy Robjohns hopping from sixth to fifth place and Ash Baines and Drew ...

Craig Fulcher is the first contestant to breach the 100% barrier in Coastal East Anglia thanks to adding Balearic Shearwater and Wryneck this month. Tommy Corcoran moves into second after adding 7% this month. Ryan drops to third after spending most of the month off patch. James Brown adds 5% to get very close to the podium places - perhaps a decent September at North Lowestoft will elevate him. Wryneck - Craig Fulcher Nige Lound stays top in the points minileague after adding 20 points this month with Black Stork, Red-backed Shrike and Barred Warbler seen and a self-found Wryneck adding some bonus points. Robert Smith moves up a place into second after a decent August at Holme adding 14 points this month. James Brown does make the podium in the points minileague after adding Wryneck, Black Tern and Little Stint. Away from the top of the table and the only additional bonus points this month were for a Wryneck unearthed by Scott Mayson at Thorpeness which moves him up a place....

A new leader emerges in the Coastal North Comparative Minileague at the end of August as Stewart Sexton adds nine new species to his Howick patch year list (including two Pied Flycatchers in the garden!) taking him over 95%. A classic August Spotted Crake plus a Short-eared Owl at Fleetwood boosted Seumus Eaves over the 90% mark and into second place.  Pied Flycatcher at Hoswick  ©  Stewart Sexton The rather excellent fall of migrants which hit the east coast at the end of August allowed many contestants to add significantly to their species lists. Martin Garner jumped from 172 to 187 species (and past 70%) at Flamborough with a superb tally of three Icterine Warblers, Wryneck, Long-tailed Skua and Garganey. PWC's own James Spencer went from 72 species at St. Mary's Island to 81 species with some patch goodies such as Black Tern and Little Stint. Mick Turton continues his run in first place on the points table. He cleaned up nicely during August where Sp...

Ed Keeble still leads the charge on the Estuarine Comparative Minileague table with two new species added in August at his Brantham patch edging him ever closer to 100%. The second site record of Bluethroat at Lytchett Bay headed up a total of eight species added there by Shaun Robson, keeping him firmly in second place. Russell Neave at Maldon overtakes Gordon Hodgson at Saul Warth & Frampton on Severn for third place by only by less than 1%. Whinchat, Little Tern and Ruff were Russell's highlights of the month. Paul Sullivan remain at the top of the points minileague at the end of August with an excellent 168 species and 235 points. Dave Craven consolidates his third place position at Hale & Pickerings Pasture with fine patch birds such as Willow Tit, Tree Sparrow, Great White Egret, Wood Sandpiper and best of all, a self found White-rumped Sandpiper which was just reward for two months of regular scans through the high tide wader roost! Ian Ballam and Shaun R...

Frankly Steven Ward deserves to go top in the comparative minileague just for the outrageous garden tick - a Merlin on next doors TV aerial. Fantastic and the 6% added in August means he usurps the Leeds contingent and moves on to Nelson in terms of %. Nick Tonge failed to add at Rodley dropping into second whilst Nick Morgan is up from fifth into third with the first Tree Pipit and Mandarin for Ainderby Steeple. Lesser Yellowlegs - Bill Aspin Darren Starkey adds a further 10 points to break the double hundred with four months still to go at Fairburn. He managed a quintuplet of two pointers including Little Tern and Corn Bunting, Andy Bunting fails to keep up and manages only a brace in August at Martin Mere which is ample to retain second. Mark Reeder who has recently left the admin fold for a quiet life destroying his bathroom moves into third thanks to 11 points this month including Arctic Skua and Sandwich Tern at Orgreave. By far the best find this month goes to Bill A...

Stephen Welch and Jim Dickson both added four new species to their patch year lists in August. Jim has the higher species list and points total along the Crinan Canal Corridor yet it is Stephen who continues to top the Coastal Scotland Comparative Minileague with over 95% at Gosford Bay (and a fine  BirdTrack  effort too with over 110 complete lists and 2000 records entered to date!).  Jim's highlights for the month included a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull (an excellent bird for Argyll), Wood Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper. Stephen did very well during August with a mighty three #fullfatpatchticks : Little Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper and Ruff. Jim Dickson's list of additions in August see  him top the points minileague again this month while Mike Hodgkin moves ever closer in second place at Aberlady Bay where no less than 10 new species awaited him during the month including Black Tern and Roseate Tern. Some classic early migrants were highlights f...

A bountiful August with all of the expected migrants plus a #fullfatpatchtick Black Tern allowed Andy Rhodes at Calshot to overtake Paul Freestone at Gwithian and claim first place on the Coastal South Comparative Minileague table with 114%. Paul held on to top spot for several months but with autumn underway it looks like it's time for some ructions in the rankings!  Amy Robjohns passes the 100% mark and into third place with Wood Sandpipers and Black Terns at Titchfield Haven. Just after just ticking Wood Sand that month, Amy went on to find her own flock of five on the patch! That's how it is done folks.  Wood Sandpiper  ©  Amy Robjohns Peter Hazelwood gets a shout out for some excellent  BirdTrack  effort at Oldbury Power Station, over 8200 records and nearly 180 complete lists submitted by the end of August! Peter sits in fourth place on the comparative table and within sight of 100%. At the top of points table it is Kev Rylands ...

A self-found Pectoral Sandpiper for Eamonn O'Donnell at Ninch/Laytown bolsters his comparative score nicely, continuing his lead in the Irish Comparative Minileague. Additional highlights of  Balearic Shearwater and Pomarine Skua have helped bring Eamonn to a mighty 114%. The Pec Sand hung around for several days allowing many to twitch this excellent county bird for Meath which showed very well at times.  Pectoral Sandpiper at Ninch/Laytown  ©  Jim Bowman Niall Keogh holds on to second place with Dipper and Sedge Warbler both welcome additions to his South Dublin Parks patch year list. Alan Lauder reaches 100% with a flyover Black-tailed Godwit (second patch record) at the inland site of Carrick Mountain. Alan moves into third pace, pushing Neal Warnock at Larne Lough back down to fifth. Will September and October see Eamonn charge well ahead in first place? At a high scoring/large species list site like his it is likely that he wi...

Some patches saw more migration than others in inland south in August, with some noting very little movement while others had the fortune to enjoy a little of the easterly drift migrants late in the month. Nick Croft at Wanstead still has some work to do to reach his comparative score, but his patch recorded the bird of the month in the form of a Wryneck. Wryneck at Wanstead Flats, Nick Croft   This was accompanied by double figures of classic drift migrants such as Redstart, Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher as well as a brace of Pied Flycatcher and Tree Pipit. Tree Pipit, Wanstead Flats, Nick Croft     A Stunning Redstart, Wanstead Flats, Nick Croft.   Graham White at Rye Meads also enjoyed a Pied Flycatcher while Adam Bassett got a bit of grip back as three Spoonbills made up for a bird missed in June. There was no shortage of patchers in inland south getting in on the Black Tern influx in August, with five patch...

A good month in inland Scotland sees Chris Pendlebury's sterling start to the year continue apace, adding Siskin in August to maintain top spot. It is the only patch scoring over 100%, but Alastair Forsyth is just a two pointer away from matching last years performance, while Andy Cage will be looking for a good autumn to take him over the line. Alastair Forsyth and David Douglas are vying for top spot in the points league. Alastair's racked up a few rarities earlier in the year, and is benefitting from an impressive 1.413 points per bird taking him top despite 23 fewer species than his nearest rival. The shores of Loch Leven proved attractive to waders in August with Little Stint and both Wood and Green Sandpiper added for David. Alastair retains his leading margin however with a couple of two pointers of his own, a calling Quail from nearby barley fields and a fishing Osprey was a garden tick! Pete Antrobus also got in on the act with an Osprey carrying fish at his ...

Bryan Rains managed to overcome a computer glitch and find 11 species down the back of the sofa... The Black-tailed Godwit this month also helped him climb to top spot in the comparative minileague and 5% clear of Alastair Forsyth who has climbed into second and cleared the 100% barrier thanks to an Orkney record count of 666 Swifts plus some actual point scorers in Little Stint, Iceland Gull and Curlew Sandpiper. Congratulations to both. David Wood mentioned at the bird fair that not being on patch this month might hinder him and so it proves as he slips from the top to third and with Ian T breathing down his neck it may all change by the end of September. Magpie at Askernish - Ian T John Bowler maintains his place on the top of the points tree in the Islands Minileague but added some solid two pointers including his third Spotted Redshank on Tiree. Barrie Hamill added 24 points this month including finding Red-backed Shrike and Icterine Warbler. This jumps Barrie up from f...