Patchwork Challenge

  James Brown continues his dominance in the Coastal East Anglian league matching his continuing lead at the top of the point lead with a table topping performance in the comparative. Additions of Wryneck, Sooty Shearwater and Curlew Sandpiper ensured that he surpassed Rob Hall who drew a blank month in August. Both are still neck and neck for the title.   The Wryneck at Corton which helped James Brown take top spot in the comparative league. c/o Ben Moyes   Whilst no-one has reached the 100% barrier yet, September and October will hopefully provide a few bonus pointers to push people on to the ultimate goal of PWC, to beat your own score.      In the points league, James Brown has built up what looks to be an unassailable lead. The battle for the podium spots however is much tighter with just 4 points separating Justin Zantboer and Nige Lound, both of whom had relatively quiet months. The distraction of Birdfair was one of the reaso...

White-rumped Sandpiper  ©  Mark Lewis Chris Rodger continues in first place on the Coastal Scotland Comparative Minileague table with a strong lead at Musselburgh where a patch tick Black Tern during August brought him to 112.5%. The third record of Shoveler for Stephen Welch's Gosford Bay patch see him progress to 105.4% but remaining in second place. Mike Hodgkin reached his 100% target during the month at Aberlady Bay, which sees him take up third place having moved here from sixth.  Mike's good fortunes continue into the Coastal Scotland Points Minileague where he steals first place from former table leader, Chris Rodger. Only two points separate the two who are on 208 and 206 points respectively. Colin Davison is also making a move for the title with 204 points in third place from his Scoughall patch where he was awarded 6 points for a Cory's Shearwater find. Mark Lewis and Geoff Morgan are also lurking at the bottom of the Top 5 here with points scores...

Adam Nicholls remains on 136% at Thorpe St Andrew and there is also no movement from James Emerson at Whitlingham in second position. Nick Moran clings on to third place in the comparative league with 106.8%, just 0.65% ahead of Tim Phillips. Nick adds Redstart, Yellow Wagtail and Whinchat this month whilst also having a close encounter with a juvenile Goshawk. Jim Bradley becomes the fifth person in Inland East Anglia to pass the 100% mark. The first Little Stint in the Gipping Valley in 40 years - Ben Moyes Ben Lewis remains at the top of the points league despite failing to advance his score. The chasing pack close in but not by much as Luke Wake at Fen Drayton adds 2 points to climb to 175 and perennial rival James Wells moves to 172 at Paxton Pits. Luke's best addition was a Green Sandpiper whilst Jamie claimed the bonus points for finding a Great White Egret as well as adding Spoonbill and Shag. Darren Oakley-Martin who patches Willington GPs added a selection of...

Aquatic Warbler at Lytchett Bay - Ian Ballam   No questions about bird of the month in the Estuarine League in August, this Aquatic Warbler for Ian Ballam at Lytchett Bay is one of the PWC2016 finds of the year and to pose for such a fine photograph for such a skulking species is really quite something. The bonus points received for this bird, which is becoming increasingly difficult on UK shores, have helped Ian take third spot in the comparative table. Joost Brandsma continues to lead at the top of the table, adding Kittiwake in the month, but it is getting very tight at the top with the critical months of September and October to come. Putting on the pressure is Peter Hazlewood at Oldbury who got in on the Curlew Sandpiper influx in August as well as adding his first patch Little Stint since 2012.   Dave Craven is still the long term leader at the top of the table at the end of August despite no points additions in the month. It meant that ...

Despite no further additions David Franklin continues at the top of the table with Campsall in top spot on 122% and Askern in second on 117%. Lower scoring inland sites tend to do best in spring and this is where David made his strides but I am sure he will be eager to connect with a few more migrants in the autumn to take both patches over the 100 points mark. John Law at Wath Ings is in third position and he adds 3 points this month closing the gap on David. Wath, consisting of the RSPB sites at Adwick and Old Moor is a high scorer and there is plenty of potential for passage waders, terns and several of the gull species which John refuses to acknowledge (although I'm sure he would whack them on his list should he by chance espy one) so change at the top is still likely. The top ten have all now passed the 100% mark as Bill Aspin, Nick Tongue, Mark Reeder and Nick Morgan become the latest additions to the club. Common Scoter at Brockholes - Bill Aspin As well as ch...

August brings little change to the Inland Scotland Comparative Minileague table with the only mover being Chris Pendlebury at Stirling where the honour of adding Canada Goose to his patch year list saw him progress into fourth place after breaking the 90% threshold. Graeme Garner and Chris are almost neck and neck in second/third, both in the region of 93% with just a fraction of a percent separating the two. Graeme added Green Sandpiper at Cambus during August, bringing up his score to within reach of the top of the table. The same four contestants with scores of 100 points or more remain at the top of the Inland Scotland Points Minileague where Alastair Forsyth claims first place in the BirdTrack rankings with a very respectable 186 lists and 5240 records from Old Nisthouse. Geoff Morgan was keeping a sharp eye on garden flyovers at Liberton West, adding both Mediterranean Gull and Snipe along with a skua which he was unable to ID 100% but Pomarine seeming the...

A Honey Buzzard, a Wood Sandpiper, a Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Redshank are all it needed for Amy Robjohns to continue at the top of the Coastal South comparative minileague. Amy continues her Annus mirabilis and moves onto 130% and lead by 37% as no other Coastal South birder is over the 100% mark. First in the bunch is Paul Freestone on 93% but he fails to add in August as he spent most of the period on holiday. Paul Bowerman is in third as he overtakes local rival Dick Best thanks to seabirds arriving in the Bristol Channel of which the highlights were Roseate Tern, Black Tern and Storm Petrel. Rob Rackliffe - Red-backed Shrike Amy is now three points ahead of Joe Stockwell despite the latters pioneering night migrant recording which meant he heard and recorded a passing Ortolan, one of a number that were in the region during August. Sean Foote adds 8 more points but other commitments mean his chances of replicating his comparative score are slim. He did manage to find a Wr...

The Under 25 minileague continues to entertain. This month Amy continues her lead at the top of the comparative minileague as she adds 11% in August to go to 130%. Her best bits in August are Honey Buzzard, Pied Flycatcher and Spotted Redshank. In second position is Ash Baines who moves up from third having gained 12% in August and breaking 100%. His additions include 4 patch ticks - Little Stint, Ruff, Black Guillemot and Marsh Harrier. Rhys Chivers has no additions this month and slips to third place. Whinchat - Jack Bradbury And still we await an update from Tim Jones (no doubt one will be coming after September) and although he remains in first place his points total is being hunted down by Amy with aplomb. Joe Stockwell continues in third position although the gap this month has been extended to three points by Amy - it is going to be close between these two rivals. Joe has been experimenting with nocturnal migrant recording and he managed to hear and record an overflying...

Mike Crams July additions which are added here keep him top on 118% but he had a difficult August as birding time was disrupted but the kids summer holidays from school. Hopefully there is a bountiful September for him at Broughton and Llangennith. In second position for the second month in succession was Julian Hughes of Conwy RSPB. Julian, who was recently featured in the PWC Podcast, added Pectoral Sandpiper at the end of the month to move onto 109%. Alison C remains in third place as 3 points take her to 108%. Henry Cook and Peter Howlett both top the 100% mark this month pushing Trevor Fletcher down 2 spots. Glossy Ibis at Tregaron Bog - Arfon Williams Richard Dobbins increases his lead to 9 points this month while Barry Stewart moves up into second place. Barry added Wood Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank this month at Burry Inlet. Wendy James has slipped to third at Teifi despite adding Great Skua. Paul Roberts in 4th place garnered the bonus points for Wryneck this mo...

Additions of Bullfinch and Stock Dove for Noel Keogh at South Dublin Bay leave him safe in first place by a matter of 10% on the Coastal Ireland Comparative Minileague table for another month. However, some of the minileague contestants who are in their first year of comparative scoring are moving up in the ranks and challenging the status quo... Richard Donaghey's ringing efforts at the Bann Estuary paid dividends when some nocturnal wader mist-netting produced both Curlew Sandpiper and Ruff! Certainly not what he was expecting. The Curlew Sand may well represent the first ever to be ringed in Northern Ireland while the two Ruff were the first ringed there since 1983! More details on the excellent Causeway Coast Ringing Group blog . These additions plus others bring Richard to second place on the comparative table with 98.6%. Eleanor Keane is bumped down to third place but managed to add Little Egret at her Killiney Hill to Dun Laoghaire coast patch, bringing her score...

August was a very productive month for Niall Keogh at his local suburban parks patch in South Dublin where he caught up with Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff after missing them due to being away at sea for most of the spring. He also connected with Cormorant, Curlew and Spotted Flycatcher at Kilbogget Park which are all patch scarce. The sixth species to be added that month was a calling flyover #patchgold Common Sandpiper at night! With no update from former Inland Ireland Comparative Minileague leader Michael John O'Mahony, recent gains allow Niall to move into first place here with just over 108%. After much searching, Des Higgins finally year ticked Collared Dove at University College Dublin which sees him reach 105% in third place.  No update from Derek Charles but he still remains in first place on the Inland Ireland Points Minileague table just shy of the ton. Ian Stevenson is having a great run at his Grand Canal Way patch, reaching 70 species by the end of ...

Ash Baines remains top of the comparative minileague as he adds 16 points in August to take him on to 108%. A quartet of patch ticks added to this bountiful month with Little Stint, Black Guillemot, Marsh Harrier and Ruff gracing Starr Gate for the first time. Iain Robson moves up to second place after adding 5% this month at Druridge pools. He also added Little Stint plus Curlew Sandpiper and Black Tern. James Spencer is also on the rise as he takes over in third spot less than 2% behind Iain. James had a trio of patch firsts with the undoubted highlight being a patchgold Coot wandering the beach. He also added Merlin and Hobby. Barred Warbler - Paul French Mick Turton remains at the top of the points minileague adding 8 points in August but as Badger was listed as his highlight we take it that Easington was relatively quiet. There was no further update from Tim Jones but he remains in second. Andy Hood moves into third place at Flamborough with Greenish Warbler, Caspian ...

Chris Rodger maintains top spot in a quiet July. He along with Andrew Whitehouse at Girdleness added Cuckoo to the year list this month. Stephen Welch closed the gap a little with Roseate Tern and a Kingfisher which graced his isolated little patch of inland water. It is a good time of year to find this fabulous little bird on smaller bodies of water it seems. Chris and Stephen are the only patchers to have breached the 100% marker so far this year. Chris Rodger also tops the points league with the gap to Colin Davison still substantial, reduced only slightly as Colin added Roseate Tern in month. Mike Hodgkin at Aberlady Bay makes up the top three, adding just a Kestrel to the patch list in July. Other highlights in the month a King Eider at Northeast Aberdeen and Donmouth for Andrew Whitehouse and a Curlew Sandpiper, preceding the August invasion at Loch Gilp for Jim Dickson. Finally, a late record of a couple of Spoonbills in June was a fine record for Geoff Mo...

Stephanie Brown stays top of the comparative league despite drawing a blank this month. Richard Scantlebury makes some inroads as he moves to 108% but he will have to put in a big performance to close the gap entirely. Tom Stevenson's Battle Farm patch rounds off the top three as he goes over the 100% mark and leap frogs Ian Bennell in the process. His best bits for August include Spotted Flycatcher and Lesser Whitethroat. A Common Sandpiper at Sutton Bingham Reservoir in the same place as the Spotted Sandpiper. If you use your imagination... With thanks to Tim Farr There was no update from Brendan this month but he remains top of the minileague on points with Tom Raven equally static in second. Ian Bennell closes up three points to the leaders to remain in third position thanks to Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff and Green Sandpiper. Two patchers got bonus points for Honey Buzzards this month as migrants graced Roger Murfitt and James McCulloch's patches. Bird of the ...

Gannet at Belvide - Steve Nuttall John Clarkson remains top of the Midlands comparative minileague adding 6% this month with his second patch record of Marsh Harrier and his first Reed Warbler and Osprey. Tom Shields jumps from fourth to second on 111% and challenging hard. His best bird was proper #patchgold with a Purple Sandpiper at Holme Pierrepoint. Other goodies included Bittern, Little Stint and Sandwich Tern. Nick Crouch slides to third on 108% after adding Tree Sparrow and Whinchat. Erik Ansell remains at the tip of the pyramid and maintains his 5 point lead thanks to Little Stint, Long-tailed Duck and Curlew Sandpiper at Rutland. Steve Nuttall splits the Rutland patchers thanks to the Gannet featured above plus Black-necked Grebe, Tree Pipit and Ruff. Rod Baker drops to third but is only a decent find away from top spot after also adding Long-tailed Duck this month. Temmick's Stint at Whisby - Ben Ward Bonus points were in limited supply but Ben Ward...

Steve Minton's garden Arctic Warbler August marks the beginning of autumn, especially on the isles where the first migrants are more obvious. This months blog post features a fine array of bits and pieces including Steve Minton's Arctic Warbler which has taken up residence in his Scatness garden. This bird takes him over 100% and top of the comparative league from 6th last month. Additionally Steve found an Icterine Warbler to round off a productive start to the autumn. The long-time leader, David Wood, slips to second place but he also cracked the 100% barrier this month. Ian T is just a sliver behind on a square 100% thanks to a brace of patch ticks in Black Guillemot and Osprey. Steve Stansfield has an August to savour as he found a host of bonus point scorers including multiple Melodious and Icterine Warblers, Western Bonelli's Warbler, Citrine Wagtail and an Ortolan Bunting. This keeps him top despite some fine birds elsewhere. John Bowler strikes back i...

Four patches have now broken the 100% barrier by the end of July, an excellent achievement with the autumn months still to come. Joost Brandsma is the latest to join the 100% group with a Hobby bringing up the key milestone.  Paul Freestone continues to lead the way despite no additions in the month with a similar story from Oldbury Power Station. Dave Craven however added patch lifers in the form of Black Tern and Turtle Dove and two year ticks with Little Gull and Sandwich Tern. All scarce birds on patch and fine additions for what is often a quiet month. He did however lose out on bonus points for finding Glossy Ibis by allowing another local birder to look through the gap in the hedge first! Bonus points for courtesy but not for PWC - Glossy Ibis at Hale and Pickerings Pasture (c/o Dave Craven) In the points league, Dave Craven still has a healthy lead but Paul Sullivan moves into second with a Sandpiper trio of White-Rumped, Pectoral and Broad-Billed! ...