Patchwork Challenge

After enjoying my first year in the Patchwork Challenge last year I signed up for 2015 without even thinking about it. It turned out to be a pretty good year, with two patch ticks including a first for Sutton Bingham. Apologies in advance for the poor quality photos included herein, all are phone-scoped using my Samsung mobile! January A fairly quiet start to the year with nothing unusual found during the first couple of weeks, but a fellow birder did see three Egyptian Geese fly over one morning, there was no sign by the time I got to the reservoir after work! One evening visit produced sixteen Mediterranean Gulls in the roost and a Stonechat near West Pool was a nice find. Wigeon numbers just about tipped the one hundred mark, with Teal numbering slightly higher. Amazingly the 23 January produced a massive count of sixty-one Mediterranean Gulls, the highest single count ever recorded at the reservoir, in fact in the whole of Somerset! The end of the month produced three Barnacle G...

No change for the top three with Ben Moyes remaining seated in first position with 120 species and 136 points giving him a whopping 130.769% and a 15% lead over second place. Fantastic effort, Ben!  Sadly, for Alison Allen at Thorpe-next-Haddiscoe, the 100% was just out of reach. However, with only 3% off the target, it was still a grand effort and with a new year and birds ahead, it's all to play for again! While the top three all added species and points this month, the final standing is still unchanged as Jamie Wells who despite finding a Great White Egret didn't the manage the extra points needed to claim first place.  Bagging a further sixteen points and leading the table by a respectable eleven points, Ben Lewis and his Mid Yare RSPB patch finished the year firmly in the lead with Snow Goose and Siberian Chiffchaff the best bits of December. Making a final mad dash up the leader board was Tabby P at North Potter Heigham who rocketed up to fifth with an impressive 2...

No further additions for Craig Fulcher in December but his 130% score was more than enough to seal the Coastal East Anglia comparative minileague. Ryan Irvine finished second after his purple patch in the autumn with 117%. His year was topped off with a Red-necked Grebe in December. Tommy Corcoran sealed third place from James Brown, finishing on 107% with Shag his only December addition. On the points front there was only one winner as Nige Lound's exceptional year at Gibraltar Point finished with 339 points. As Nige failed to add any new birds in December the gap fell by two but the remaining 45 point cushion made it comfortable enough! Ryan finished 43 points ahead of his previous comparative score to end up in second spot. His December grebe was enough to outstrip James Brown as they finished November neck and neck. James unfortunately didn't find any new birds so finishes third on the podium. Gary White managed to secure 8th place and overtake Scott Mayson in December...

It was a 'photo finish' at the top of the leader board for the Wales Comparative Minileague. However, both Alison C and Alun John managed to added an extra species each to their tally for December, allowing Alison to hold onto the coveted pole position by the skin of her teeth. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute, Julian Hughes finally broke the 100% barrier at RSPB Conwy, finishing on a respectable 101.449% before the year was out. David Carrington dug in and remained firmly planted at the top of the points league finishing on 155 species and 199 points. Lower down the leader board, with no new species to add to his Newport Wetlands patch, Mathew Meehan fell short and conceded his second place to Barry Stewart at Burry Inlet who managed a last minute flurry and bagged six new species. Nice work, Barry! With some fantastic birds being produced over the course of 2015, Wales should be an exciting one to watch in 2016.

Ed Keeble at Brantham adds Eider to secure the Estuarine minileague comparative table on 107%. No additions for Shaun Robson at Lytchett Bay or Gordon Hodgson at Frampton-on-Severn but they hold on to second and third places in the table. There were no other 100%ers with Russell and Emma upping sticks and decamping to Sanday they were stranded on their scores. The top three places in the points minileague were all taken by the Lincs Wash Reserves with Paul Sullivan heading the triumvirate up with a mighty 305 points. Thats an addition of 8 points from November including a Grey Phalarope. 34 points back was John Badley on 271, 10 ahead of Anthony Bentley who finished in third place. Dave Craven was the highest placed no Frampton-ite as he registered 244 points, pipping Howard Vaughan at Rainham Marshes by two points. Dave finished with a Shag and a Water Pipit and rounds off his year on his blog . Howard added Little and Iceland Gull but narrowly missed out on the Glauc that would ...

Stephen Welch finished his #PWC2015 efforts at Gosford Bay with 142 species, his highest total in the past few years. This success earned him first place in the Coastal Scotland Comparative Minileague with 109.3%. Well deserved with some excellent BirdTrack -ing thrown in for good measure. Close behind in second place is Mark Lewis at Girdle ness who added Glaucous Gull in December and finished on 102.7% with 156 species, his own highest total in recent years also. Solid patch effort (as shown by 10,000+ records and 210 complete lists submitted to BirdTrack ) resulted in some great finds and getting past 200 species for his patch life list. Glaucous Gull  © Mark Lewis Andrew Whitehouse remained on 97% and in third place while some New Year's Eve Little Auk passage bumped Chris Hill up to fourth place with 93% at Burntisland.  Mark's final tally of 227 points at Girdle ness ensured his first place position in the points minileague while Mike Hodgkin en...

Despite gaining no points throughout December, the final month of the year finds Alastair Forsyth still firmly rooted in first place in the comparative minileague, claiming the crown with an impressive 117%. Congratulations! Ian T holds onto second place at Askernish with a similarly formidable score while Bryan Rains concludes the glorious triumvirate with 108% at Pennyghael, aided by a welcome two points courtesy of a stranded Little Auk that was promptly rested and released. David Wood concluded 2015 in fourth position on Islay while, in a final flourish, Paul Higson snatched fifth place from John Bowler. Further down the table things remained largely the same though with 2016 here at last and a clean slate for all competitors I wonder how the table will look come the end of January. John Bowler claimed the top spot in the points minileague this month with a truly mighty 343 points at Balephuil on the Isle of Tiree. A well deserved victory if ever there was one. Steve Stands...

The rankings on the Inland Scotland Comparative Minileague table remained the same through December as they were at the end of November and with that, Chris Pendlebury wins the comp league with his excellent 115.7% score from Stirling (Green patch too).  No change for Alastair Forsyth at Old Nisthouse where he claims second place with 108.7% and Andy Cage adds a last minite Red-legged Partridge at Kilmany taking him to 101% in third. The rest of the comp league contestants finish with respectable 90% and 80% scores.  David Douglas steals first place on the Inland Scotland Points Minileague table from Alastair by a matter of four points with a fine end to the year at Loch Leven which included both Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon! David ended up with 166 points and the highest species tally in the league with 137. Good to see almost half the contestants scoring 100 points or more in the end. And a final shout out to Alastair for his excellent contribution t...

Despite Tom Shields not making any additions in December and just a point for Andy Mackay at Eyebrook there was nobody breaking from the pack so Tom wins the comparative minileague for 2016 with his Holme Pierrepoint patch. A Great Northern Diver did brighten his month up whilst for Andy the solitary point he garnered was thanks to a Red-breasted Merganser. Dave Roberts closed the gap on the top two and very nearly got in the mix thanks to a December Hen Harrier to cap his best ever year on patch. There were no new additions to the 100 club but both John Hopper and Matt Griffiths fell just a point short. Lound finishes top of the tree as the podium places were filled by the same folk as 2014 in the points league. Ian Cowgill wins the minileague with one point added in December and Andy Mackay improves on 2014 with a jump to second and John Hopper finishes third. Rhys Dandy's tactical patch switch sees him climb to fourth although he has a 26 point gap to bridge to challenge th...

There was a fag paper between Nick Morgan who won the Inland North comparative minileague and Steven Ward who was leading heading into the final month. In the end Nick triumphed by 0.36% thanks to a patch tick Shoveler, second record of Gadwall and first winter record of Greenshank on his patch just outside Northallerton. Over at Hawes Steven managed to keep to the wildfowl theme with a less than annual Tufted Duck which kept him well clear of Nick Tonge in third who finished on 111% just clear of local rival Keith Dickinson.There were two new 100%ers this month with Paul Massey finishing on exactly that mark whilst Chris Bradshaw leapt into seventh with 101.8%. Tom Lowe came agonizingly close until an admin error was spotted and his target was increased by a couple of points. Darren Starkey took the win in the Inland North points minileague, pipping Garry Taylor by 7 points. Darren, who patches Fairburn, added Short-eared Owl, Red-crested Pochard and Brambling over the last two ...

Seumus Eaves didn't update in November and his combined two months to finish the year put him top of the comparative pile in the Coastal North minileague for 2015. He finishes on 113% with a 2% lead over Stewart Sexton who failed to add in December and finished in second place. Just a single point for Ash Baines means he holds on to third as James Spencer failed to add anything. Chris Bradshaw at Long Nab to Scalby Mills was the final member of the 100% club this year as he added 8 points in December. Tom Cadwallender's Alnmouth patch with Coquet Island in the background. Mick Turton's monster score sees him home in top spot in the points minileague with 381 points. No new additions in December but a winning margin of 76 points for Mick is most impressive. Also with no new additions are Nick Addey in second and Martin Garner who finishes third. Both birders managed the triple century which is a superb effort. Iain Robson managed to climb from 11th to 7th over the...

Those who were already over 100% in the Ireland Comparative Minileague at the end of November took a run at claiming first place during December yet it was a lean final month with not a whole lot on offer for those going for gold. No new additions for Eamonn O'Donnell at Ninch/Laytown (a repeat  Long-tailed Duck the best) or Alan Lauder at Broad Lough to Wicklow Head but Niall Keogh added a female Brambling at Kilbogget Park while Mark Shorten swooped in with a high ranking updated score from the Old Head of Kinsale, knocking some top five regulars down a few pegs in the process! Eamonn's fantastic third year at Ninch/Laytown saw him lead the way for most of the past few months and with a final comparative score of 115%, he claims first place in the #PWC2015 Ireland Minileague. Well done! Mark's update from the Old Head boasts a fine list of rare and scarce species seen through the year including Cory's Shearwater , Red-backed Shrike , Yellow-browed Warbler...

The NGB minileague was a roaring success in 2015 and with more and more young birders registering patches 2016 will surely be no different. First of all I would like to thank all 2015 competitors for making this league both fun and competitive over the past twelve months, the scores, species counts and number of Birdtrack records testament to the sheer dedication of NGB members. As you may well be aware having read the Birdguides summary of 2015 ( here ) Joe Stockwell claimed the top spot in 2015 after narrowly missing out during the previous year. With 189 species notched and a monster points total of 299 the one year British Birds subscription heading Joe's way is extremely well deserved, as is the week long stay on Bardsey Island awarded to Josie Hewitt after claiming the coveted "NGB most valuable player" prize. Looking first at the comparative league and Amy Robjohns reigns supreme at Titchfield Haven, rightfully claiming the top spot with an impressive 130% fol...

Tom Raven wins the Inland South Comparative Minileague by a handsome margin. A self-found Dusky Warbler in December gives him a 9% margin and a final score of 136%. Josie Hewitt had an excellent finish to her year jumping from fourth to second with 9 Crossbills from November her recent highlight. Long-term second place patcher, Tom Stevenson, fell into third in the final month thanks to a blank month but he shattered his PB at Ewelme. There were no new members of the 100% club in December but with 8 out of 13 patchers managing it there has been a fair amount of success in the south, Tom Raven had the points minileague won long ago but the 44 point margin is outstanding and as well as his Dusky Warbler he also added Firecrest and Siberian Chiffchaff in December. Nigel Milbourne added four points to his November score to secure second spot at Blagdon Lake. Lee Evans had a similar month with 4 points added but he bemoans the Bonxie which Ian Bennell was fortunate enough to see. T...

Nothing new for Paul Freestone but he managed to hang on to top spot in the Coastal South comparative minileague despite a very strong finish from Amy Robjohns. Paul finished on 132% thanks to a December Jack Snipe whilst Amy added 9% to finish on 130%. Amy managed bonus points for finding a Siberian Chiffchaff and also saw the trio of Penduline Tits which arrived at Titchfield late in the month. Andy Rhodes added 3% and dropped a place into third despite an outstanding year where he scored 127%. His perserverance paid off with last gasp Shag and Kittiwake. Roger Musgrove was the seventh and final 100%er in the Coastal South minileague. Joe Stockwell debuted a new patch for 2015 working the Weymouth reserves and Ferrybridge in Dorset. He finished the year just one point short of 300 and beat local rival Sean Foote by 19 points. Joe added Scaup and Grey Phalarope and briefly thought the phalarope took him over the triple century mark but alas its a two pointer. Sean added just a si...

Patchwork Challenge 2015 Review – Hawes; Steven Ward January Fortunately, and as per usual for the beginning of the year, the 1 st of January saw areas of floodwater adorning the floodplain around the River Ure. This helps draw in certain species which wouldn't normally be present on Patch without floods. Teal , Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Redwing & Fieldfare were the modest opening day highlights. Biblical amounts of rain over the course of New Year's Day turned virtually the whole valley bottom into one giant lake for the next 24 hours. On the 3 rd , Wigeon, Goosander, Tawny Owl & Grey Wagtail were added. My BirdTrack complete list had to be abandoned on this day however, as a mournful squealing sound on the river bank led to an Otter cub, no doubt separated from its family following the previous days' extensive flooding. Scooping the poor creature up, it ended up with the nearest RSPCA via my house and the local vet. An unfortunate...