Patchwork Challenge

Stephanie Brown is having an excellent year on her Twyford patch and is topping the listings at 120%. Thrushes were her highlight of the month, but no additions of note means that Tim Farr and Richard Scantlebury are putting on the pressure to take the comparative league title. Tim Farr added Goldeneye this month, just his second patch record whilst Richard Scantlebury added Merlin. A good December could mean all change in the top three. It is not just the comparative league which is tight at the top! Inland South is providing a real race to the line this year, and leader at the end of November is Nigel Milbourne at Blagdon Lake. He has assumed top spot by bagging bonus points for a Ring-Necked Duck as well as adding points for a brace of Long-Tailed Duck, both excellent patch birds. The lead is very slender, just a single point to Tom Raven in second but a certain Pipit in December should put this race beyond doubt! Tom's update this month includes October and his ...

Some fine efforts this year in the comparative league, Amy Robjohns continues at the top adding Black Redstart in the month. At 142% she looks unbeatable, that's going to make a mighty challenging target next year! In any other year, Ash Baines on 131% would be looking at top spot, it is a really impressive effort this year. A Desert Wheatear was a superb addition to his patch list plus Scaup and Twite amongst his other highlights. Three other patchers have joined then in the 100 club. Just a few more point would see Tim Jones beat his comparative which would be a superb effort given the challenging total he has to hit. Not so surprising is Tim Jones in top spot and a clear 136 points above his nearest rival. It has been an amazing autumn at Spurn and he has topped 400 points despite not adding any new birds in November. So it is all about the south coast battle for second and Joe continues to have the edge. A 9 point gap is not insurmountable but it would take...

Joe Stockwell extends his lead in his long running battle with Amy 'Record shot' Robjohns at the top despite Amy adding Black Redstart in November. Paul Bowerman continues to hold on to 3rd thanks to a Bewick's Swan and Woodcok in November but its getting close behind him with Andy Johnson and Ilya Maclean are only 3 points behind. Joe Cockram had a good month finding a Red-throated Pipit, probably the last one to be a 3 pointer in PWC as it moves up to 4 in PWC2017. Chris Townend had a good October (late with the scores ;-)) finding Serin and YBW. On the other side of things Paul Freestone had a bad month, no new birds and missing both Spoonbill and Whooper Swan! Amy looks to have wrapped up the comparartive league thanks to her obsessive (her words!) birding at Titchfield Haven this year. 141% is an incredible score!! Likewise Paul Freestone looks to have 2nd place in the bag despite all the dipping in November. The podium position up for grabs is third, currentl...

The Estuarine Minileague is a powerhouse of patch birding enthusiasm and effort with no less than ten contestants on the comparative table having reached and well surpassed their 100% target by the end of November. Lots of tough acts to follow! Paul Freestone had a productive month at Hayle Estuary with Green-winged Teal and Cattle Egret (although he missed Pintail!) and this brings his comp score up to an impressive 125.6%, enough to overtake Ian Ballam at Lytchett Bay and claim first place! A good find or a few additions during December could see Ian get back in the lead so it's by no means over here! Much of the rest of the comp table stays the same save for Toby Collett at RSPB Frampton Marsh who nips ahead of Dave Craven at Hale & Pickerings Pasture by a fraction of a percent and into sixth place thanks to Bittern and White-fronted Goose. The Lesser Yellowlegs continued its stay at Lytchett Bay throughout the month (c) Ian Ballam A high scoring points tabl...

No doubt about the bird of the month in Coastal North league. Eastern Black Redstarts have been one of the features of this spectacular autumn and have already made appearances along the coast. This time it was Alan Crossley's turn, bagging all of the find points for his bird in Hartlepool. Bird of the month: Eastern Black Redstart, Hartlepool (c/o Alan Crossley) In the comparative league Ash Baines is holding the flag for the west coast, with a spectacular 131%. Damian Money has had an immense autumn, but 10% adrift, it looks like quite a gap to close and would take quite some Christmas present to do it! The man formerly known as Mr PWC, James Spencer, has continued a good run at Barmston with late autumn/winter specialities like Glaucous Gull,  Little Auk, Great Northern and Black-throated Diver...a podium spot looks to be sealed! Six patches are now over the 100% marker and there is still time for those in the nineties.  In the points league, the Spurn/Easi...

After a hectic October, relative calm returned to the Islands Minileague during November, but not without a few good birds being seen here and there. Despite not adding anything new, Steve Minton still leads the charge in first place on the comparative table with 140% at Scatness. His title looks secure between now and the end of the year. Steve Stansfield left Bardsey on the 8th November and with that comes to an end his amazing year of #PWC2016 there where he finsihed on 186 species, 368 points and 119.48%!!! Top stuff. We look forward to updates from this magic spot again during #PWC2017 . David Wood and Mark Newell both increased their comp scores sufficiently to cause a stir in the top five rankings. Red Kite and Long-tailed Duck were new for David at RSPB The Oa, taking him from sixth to third place on 116% there, while a serious Isle of May #patchgold double whammy of Coal Tit and Long-tailed Tit took Mark from ninth to fourth on 113%. One of the top finds durin...

Inland Scotland must be one of the most competitive comparative leagues with just over 7% separating the entire league. A good December could see anyone claim the top spot. Onto the highlights for November, David Douglas may be languishing in 7th spot but he added 12% (20 points) with the highlight a Common Scoter at Loch Leven. Graeme Garner (Crambus) and Chris Pendlebury joined the Waxwing fun at Dunblane and Chris also added Raven and Goosander at Kinneil. David Douglas's 20 points see's him leap frog Alastair Forsyth at the top and gain a commanding 13 point lead this late in the year. Alastair was another lucky patcher to see Waxwing (and another Siberian Chiffchaff) while  Graeme Garner managed a cracking duo for an inland patch, Scaup and Mediterranean Gull. Mike Hodgkin also added Waxwing this month as well as White-fronted Goose. The wintery feel was rounded off with a Lesser Redpoll at Kilmany for Andy Cage.  Like the comparative league a good Decembe...

A familiar look at the top of the comparative league as the top 5 remains the same with little added over November. Waxwings were the bird of the month, recorded in at least 5 of the patches including the table toppers Chris Rodgers at Musselburgh, Stephen Welch at Gosford and Andrew Whitehouse at Girdle Ness. Other than that it was a quiet month for the coastal Scotland stalwarts, here's hoping December brings more joy. Star bird for November on the Scottish coast A similar story in the points league as the top 5 remain the same and very few points added throughout the league. The biggest winner in November was Colin Davison as a great seawatch closed the gap to the top spot by adding Little Auk, Grey Phalarope and Slavonian Grebe, a terrific trio! A good December could see him snatch top spot from Geoff Morgan. It is also a tight contest for 3rd place with only 4 points separating Mike Hodgkin and Chris Rodger, who will claim the bronze medal with a good December? ...

During November it became apparent that it was going to be a 'Waxwing Year' and I'm sure it had every patcher looking and listening for them on every berry tree. It seems fitting that it was to be Adam Nicholls first tick since July and a full fat patch tick as well. He also added Stonechat but dipped both Velvet Scoter and Brent Goose. With a 22% lead you can't be too greedy....... Nick Moran seems to have secured 2nd place with a dream month, helping ID a Little Bunting, finding Siberian Chiffchaff as well as adding Hawfinch! Has Thetford moved to the coast! All this means that the #beatNick competition has miserably failed (pending the results of a drug test) so rather than dwell on it we will leave Jonny to drink his blues away (although i hear the #PWC2017 hashtag will be #beatenbyNick). Ben Moyes was another Waxwing'er this month and moves ahead of his 106% rivals while Ben Lewis finally passes the 100% mark, mainly thanks to missing 10 species off by mista...

There was a familiar theme with sightings this month for coastal East Anglia patchers, seaduck, geese, seawatching and waxwings. Rob Hall added 8% to his already very impressive year with the additions of Long-tailed Duck, Snow Bunting, White-fronted Geese and Bewick's Swans. All classic winter birds in East Anglia but always a delight to see on patch. Ryan Irvine was the big mover this month, jumping to 2nd from 4th as he also added 8% including two bonus pointers, Leach's Petrel and the 3rd record ever of Crane for him at Hemsby. Highlight of the month was a Water Rail found in the dunes, a full fat patch tick! James Brown and Scott Mayson drop a place each despite James adding Little Auk, Long-tailed Duck and Snow Bunting. The only other mover in the comparative league was Nige Lound as he creeps into the top 5 thanks to a patch tick Green-winged Teal and two Storm-petrels, only the 4th and 5th records for Gibraltar Point NNR. Excellent month for geese throughout the r...

It was with great sadness during November that we learned of the untimely and very sudden death of Pete Antrobus (POD). Pete was a familiar face in UK birding and a stalwart of the Cheshire birding scene, particularly his beloved Neumann's Flashes.  He will be missed by friends and birders far and wide, our thoughts and condolences go out to his friends and family particularly his wife Debbie.  No change at the top of the Inland North comparative minileague as David Franklin sits tight despite adding just one species - his first Tawny Owl in two years. John Law added White-fronted Goose, Merlin and (finally) Treecreeper to close the gap, a similar points haul in December could see him nick it from David. Out of nowhere Bill Aspin leaps to 3rd place - more of that nonsense later! David Franklin failed to add anything to his Askern patch which slips to fourth. Nick Morgan drops out of the top five and is replaced by NIck Tonge. Bittern - Brockholes - Bi...

It’s as you were in the top 5 of this month’s Midlands comparative minileague table. Just a ½ percent separates Tom Shields and Nick Crouch, with Nick adding Bewick’s Swan and Raven during the month, the latter being a new patch bird.    Despite being out of the country for two weeks Phil Hyde managed to move up to 6 th  place stealing it from an equally disadvantaged Andy Simms whose Tanzania trip saw him slip to 7 th  place. Mike Wakeman was the only joiner of the 100% club this month, though John Hopper is tantalizingly close and will surely make it by the year end. All change at the top of the points minileague as Steve Nuttall rises to the top after adding another 8 points with Whooper Swan, Smew, Great Northern Diver and Slavonian Grebe. Rod Baker moves to 2 nd   place with his Rutland Water rival Erik Ansell dropping to 3 rd   place. Bewick's Swan (c) Neil Duggan A Hen Harrier was a patch tick for all thr...