March round-up 2026

Hello from the Patchwork Challenge team!

We sincerely hope you have enjoyed taking part in the second month of #PWC2026! If you have yet to sign up and are interested in joining this year's competition, then please do by following this link:  

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iZORva8WZXRiaCZcQUE9CNmog3k0EhnhW-GflGqNYoA/edit?usp=sharing

March for many felt like the first proper signs of spring were beginning to appear, with Ospreys, Wheatears, hirundines and the first few summer migrant warblers all being recorded on patches. There was little in the way of significant movement however, and similar for ground breaking discoveries across the region with one of, if not the best, being a potential Irish Coal Tit in a garden on Tiree! There were still a couple of very notable birds recorded on patches, with the discoveries of a Pacific Diver in Cornwall and Bonaparte's Gull in Shetland. Although these weren't the only excellent birds noted, with a few superb patch records coming in from up and down the competition. 

April is a fantastic month, or at least can be, with any band of rain inland feeling like it is going to drop in the next scarce good bird on your patch. I know when I used to patch Pitsford Reservoir, I would be running down to the reservoir in the rain between March and May in the hope for a grounded wader like Sanderling, Turnstone or Bar-tailed Godwit, as well as Terns, Little Gulls and Kittiwake. This was my most exciting time of the year for such a patch, with a lot of expectation in the air, and usually if the weather was right, a lot of birds too! If your patch doesn't have a body of water, then need not worry - as vismig has your back! Keep your ears sharp for the whistle of a Whimbrel as it alerts you to its presence, or any wader for that matter. One thing to remember to do is always look up!

There is passerines to be on the lookout for too, Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers and Wheatears are trickling through now, while Whinchats should start to come through in greater numbers soon too. A lot of the warblers like Willow, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Sedge have all made it back in force already. Cuckoos (although not a passerine) seem to have made it back in good numbers already too.

There is a potential in April, with a good chance of an overshooting migrant or two in the form of birds like Purple and Night Heron, Black Kite, Alpine Swift, Hoopoe, Red-rumped Swallow and Serin to name a few. The first Bee-eaters and Golden Orioles may even appear towards the end of the month. Things like Pallid Harrier, Black Scoter, Subalpine and Savi's Warblers, Iberian Chiffchaffs all feel a possibility during April. It can also produce some monster rares as well, with last April turning up Kelp Gull, Crag Martin, Alpine Accentors and Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, showing that anything can happen! Good luck to everyone that is out during the month, fingers crossed for a good remainder of the month!

Another bird to be on the lookout for this month is Osprey, as there seems to have been plenty spotted heading north already this spring. From middle of next month it'll be Honey Buzzards to be on the lookout for! This Osprey image taken by Daniel Langston. 

TOP 20 COMPARATIVE SCORES 3KM²

TOP 20 COMPARATIVE SCORES 10KM 

TOP 20 OVERALL SCORES 3KM²

TOP 20 OVERALL SCORES 10KM

Inland North, England: 

Mike Leakey is making a considerable lead with 87% scored to keep him in first place at Bishop Middleham. It then becomes very tight in the league, with the rest crammed into a 14% difference. Starting this off is Pam Pickersgill at Moreley and Churwell is in second. Gavin Orr has had a brilliant start to the year at Pontefract Park having picked up 77% so far putting him in third, his best bird this month being a full fat patch tick in the form of a Kittiwake. Owen Tattersall is in fourth at Figham Common, with him being only percent behind third place. Mark Langston at Dearne Valley finished March in fifth having picked 73%, a couple of noteworthy birds with Spoonbill and Knot. Duncan Bye at Wheldrake Ings is joint sixth with Phil Woollen at Mollington, having both seen 71%. Duncan's best birds was a healthy list which included Tundra Bean Goose, Scaup, locally hard to find Great Crested Grebe and the year's first House Martin while Phil got his Little Owls back after they went AWOL. Pam is in seventh with her Gildersome patch, with 70% but is shortly followed by Paul Whitehouse at Staley Ferry Flash and Southern Washlands who is just a single percent behind having seen Whooper Swan in March. Nigel Harris at Middletons is on 68% and has picked up his earliest patch Blackcap as well as Great Black-backed Gull and Mandarin. Ciaran Rowett is in tenth having picked up an all too respectable 66% to be in this position having seen Green Sandpiper, Med Gull and booming Bittern at Martin Mere. 

Gavin Orr post about Kittiwake on Bluesky

We currently have a joint first place in the Inland North mini-league with Adam Firth at Elvington and Mark Langston at Dearne Valley both scoring 132 points so far. Adam's highlights include Crane and Cattle Egret as well as Goshawk and Scaup. Duncan Bye at nearby Wheldrake Ings is in second having scored 126 points so far followed by Ciaran Rowett at Martin Mere on 113 points. Mike Leakey at Bishop Middleham is on 107 points, putting him in fourth while Darren Best is the most recent to break the hundred points barrier with 101 scored at Swine Moor. Darren's best bird for March being a Spotted Redshank. Owen Tattersall at Figham Common might be next to join those over a hundred points already having scored 94 points so far. Flanking Owen is Paul Newton at Scaling Dam who has picked up 87 points so far. Muhummed Hussain at Myerscough Quarry and Carr House Green Common is in eighth but had some goodies this month in the first of American Wigeon as well as his first Sand Martin and Swallows of the year.

Eurasian White-fronted Goose taken by Harry Appleyard

Inland Midlands, England: 

Brian Hedley at Marton and Trent Port is currently leading the comparative part of the Inland Midlands mini-league by a whopping 11%! His list of highlights from March include 200 Whooper Swans, 22 Eurasian White-fronted Geese, a couple of Pintail amongst others. Dan Leadley at Dereham is on 74% followed by Tom Shields at Colwick Park who has picked up 68% so far, Tom's highlight being a Scaup. We then have a three way split for fourth with Richard Harbird at Morton Bagot, Andy Sims at Swanpool and Boultham Mere as well as Pete Sofley at Ladywalk Nature Reserve, all of which having scored 67%. Richard's goodies include patch ticks in the form of Cetti's Warbler and Egyptian Goose, Andy noted Oystercatcher and Grey Partridge while Pete had a superb list of Crossill, Black Redstart, Garganey, Bittern and Black-tailed Godwit. Steve Atkinson at Middle Tame and Joe Parham at Fen Drayton Lakes are neck and neck in fifth, with Steve noting a White Wagtail. Steve Lister at Swithland Reservoir is in sixth but he had an excellent patch bird with his first Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on patch in 13 years!

In the 10km league, Dan Webb at Ross on Wye and Sellack is currently out front having scored 68%. Richard Harbird at Redditch is just a percent behind on 67%, he had a nice flurry of spring migrants which of course was highlighted by the first Wheatear of the year. Andy Sims at Swanpool is in third, after sitting just a couple of percent behind the top two. His highlights include Crossbills and Shelduck. William Lambourne sits just above fifth place at Ledbury, his best bird being his first local Bittern, as well as four flocks of Common Scoters. Steve Lister at Loughborough and Tom Shields at Nottingham Trent Valley both are on 60% in fifth. 

Egyptian Goose taken by Richard Harbird

Daniel Langston at Bardney Pits is still flying high in the overall points scored part of the league with a 25 points advantage! He has an exceptionally long list of highlights, which you can see below, but the best of these include finding Green-winged Teal, Water Pipit, Cattle Egret and two 'Continental' Black-tailed Godwits. Pete Sofley at Ladywalk Nature Reserve is in second on 120 points. While we currently have a joint third with both Steve Atkinson at Middle Tame and Chris Hubbard at Stanford Reservoir both on 116 points. Chris's highlights were seeing a good variety of summer migrants already back as well as Redshank. In fourth is Tyler Atkinson at Clifford Hill Gravel Pits having seen a good selection of spring species back as well as Marsh Harrier, a good record locally leaving him on 115 points. Dominic Garcia-Hall at Rutland Water is on 106 points, which puts him in fifth but he is quickly followed by Matthew Pollock at Kingsbury South on 104 points. Matthew picked up a nice selection of birds including Spoonbill, Merlin and the first spring migrants. Joe Parham at Fen Drayton Lakes and Noah Bailey at Milton Country Park and Ditton Meadows are neck and neck on 103 points. Noah had some good bits which included Ring Ouzel, Jack Snipe and Hen Harrier.

Green-winged Teal taken by Daniel Langston

Inland South, England: 

Tom Bedford at Lye Valley in Oxford is flying incredibly high with an awesome 93% score so far with plenty of noteworthy additions this month in the form of a Common Gull (fourth patch record), Sand Martin (third patch record) and best of all a patch tick Osprey on the 26th. Geoff Wyatt at Day's Lock and Bishop's Court Farm is in a close battle for second, having picked up 83% and kept Charlie Joseph at bay who scored 82% at Weald Country Park and Bentley area. Jeff Gooding at Roding Valley Meadows just missed out on the podium by the end of March, with 81% scored so far. He did have some patch gold though, in the form of a patch tick Woodcock - the first in 12 years of watching there. Ian Bennell at Tring Reservoirs, College Lake and Pitstone Quarry on 74% with his third patch record of Curlew. This kept him just above Gareth Blockley at Grimsbury Reservoir on 73%. James Pritchard is on 69% at Ver Valley to put him in seventh, his highlights this month include Little Ringed Plover and Wheatear. Neil Burt is in eighth but still with a decent score considering the time of year with 67%. The best birds recording on his Godinton, Hothfield and Singleton patch include patch rarities in the form of Shoveler, Mediterranean and Great Black-backed Gulls. Matthew Dick has scored 49% from 81 points at RSPB Lakenheath. 

Only one participant in the 10km comparative mini-league, Dave Helliar at Chard has so far picked up 69% from 107 points, best birds in March being Crossbill and Green Sandpiper.

 

Geoff Wyatt leads in the overall points scored part of the competition, having picked up 127 points from Day's Lock and Bishop's Court Farm but his lead is narrow with Thomas Miller at Port Meadow picking up 125 points, his highlight being the superb find of a Ring-billed Gull. Rupert Evershed at Stanborough Gravel Pits is just short of the hundred points barrier, with 96 scored so far. His highlights include the first returning migrants as well as Little Owl and Great White Egret. Dave Helliar at Chard Junction is in fourth, just three points behind Rupert. 

In the 10km league, Rupert Evershed is up top from St Albans with 122 points scored so far, the best bird for March being Rock Pipit. Dave Helliar is second at Chard with 107 points. A close battle for third with Rob Hill in North Buckinghamshire on 89 points, keeping him just ahead of Charlie Joseph at Brentwood on 84 points.

Coastal East, England: 

Nige Lound at Gibraltar Point is now leading the comparative league, having accumulated 59% so far but he is only just scraping the lead with his local rival Stuart Ainsworth on 58%. Trevor Girling at RSPB Titchwell Marsh is now in third with 57%, making it a very tight top three top three. Trevor's best birds for March include Jack Snipe, Green Woodpecker and Brambling. Next in fourth is Owen Beaumont at Saltfleetby to Theddlethorpe Dunes picked up 51% having seen a couple of Cranes, Little Gull and Corn Bunting. Duncan Watson at Tynemouth is in fifth having scored 49% while Will Scott takes the following two positions with his Bempton Village and Bempton Cliffs patches respectively. The latter of which picked up Lapland Bunting. Mark Andrews in Kilnsea had a brilliant start to the spring with the finding of the second Dartford Warbler for East Yorkshire, this putting him on 40% and in joint eighth with John Chapman at NE South Tyneside. 

In the 10km league, James Brown is still hitting the top spot having seen Ferruginous Duck and Garganey from Hopton to put him on 69% but he is followed not far behind by Paul Newton at Whitby who is on 66%.

Nige Lound at Gibraltar Point is also leading in terms of overall points scored, having picked up 173 so far. Trevor Girling over at Titchwell Marsh is not too far behind, with an eight point deficit. In third place is Owen Beaumont but there is a 20 point gap between him and second place. He is followed by James Brown at Lowestoft, who has picked up Ferruginous Duck and Garganey during March, to put him on 131 points. Stuart Ainsworth at Gibraltar Point is on 125 points but Mark Andrews is hot on his tail with 121 points scored from Kilnsea. Martin Kerby at Cullercoats and Tynemouth is the last to break the hundred points barrier, having picked up 112 so far. His highlight for March being the first returning Sandwich Terns. 

Coastal South, England: 

Kevin Rylands at Teignmouth is currently leading, having seen an excellent 68% so far, this putting him 11% in front of his nearest competitor. Kevin's best birds from this patch in March include Razorbill, Sandwich Tern and Red Kite. Jacob Wood is in second at Berry Head to Mansands having scored 57% while Kevin Rylands comes third too at his Dawlish Warren patch, with 54% scored. Best birds there included Goosander and Red-legged Partridge. Jacob Spinks at Dungeness Bird Observatory has some catching up to do with just 38% seen so far. 

Bob Ford at Weymouth and beyond is currently walking away with the 10km comparative part of the mini-league, with nearly double the score of the next competitor. His March best bird being a Red-rumped Swallow.

Jonathan Bull is currently leading the overall points scored part of the league, having picked up 138 points so far. Jacob Spinks at Dungeness Bird Observatory is not too far behind on 128. Kevin Rylands at Dawlish Warren is third on 127 points followed by Ryan Irvine at St Buryan on 114. Richard Watkins at Dungeness RSPB Reserve just a single point away from the hundred points mark. 

In the 10km league, Ryan Irvine is up front on 170 from St Buryan however Jonathan Bull from Sandwich Bay is just two points shy of levelling it, so it is certainly all to play for. Bob Ford, walking from Weymouth, is on 154 points in third.

Whooper Swans taken by Richard Watkins

Coastal West, England: 

As it stands, Sean O'Hara is the only competitor to be in the comparative Coastal West England league. He is on exactly 50% by the end of March, with Osprey being his highlight.

Liam Langley at St Ives in Cornwall is currently leading the overall points scored part of the league with 100 scored so far. The clear and obvious highlight being a self found Pacific Diver, which could end up being one of the finds of the spring. Other goodies include Puffin, Wheatear and Sandwich Tern.

Inland Wales:

Jonni Price, the only participant in the Inland Wales mini-league is now on 59 points from 57 species at his Llanrwst patch.

Coastal Wales: 

Peter Howlett is leading the charge in this two horse race for first place in the comparative Coastal Wales mini-league. He is currently on 54% from his Cardiff Bay patch while Toby Phelps is on 85 points from Manorbier. 

In the 10km league, the roles have been reserved with Toby Phelps scoring 69% from the Castlemartin Peninsula and Peter Howlett picking 89% from Cardiff.

The overall points scored side to this league is almost a complete swap of the comparative, Toby is leading with 85 points and Peter is just behind on 79. 

The 10km league is the same, Toby is up front on 119 points and Peter further behind on 89, but it is all about the comparative really!

Inland Scotland: 

Alex Ash at Kilmacolm leads with both comparative and overall points scored, having accumulated 70% of their previous score from 66 points. Lee Hesp at Strathyre is on 57% from 35 points, the best bird being Greenfinch. 

Coastal Scotland: 

Rich Arthurs at Gullane and Aberlady Bay has nicked the top spot off Nick Littlewood! Rich picked up Barn Owl, Red Kite and Crossbill during the month to put him on 73%. Nick Littlewood at Portsoy isn't too far back on 68% but a quiet month put him in second, his highlight being a Black-throated Diver. 

It then gets very close in the league, just four percent separates third to sixth! Andrew Whitehouse at Girdle Ness and Torry starts it off on 53%, picking up a patch gold COOT followed by Nina O'Hanlon at Nybster on 52%. Rob Hughes then takes up the next two spots with his John O'Groats patch on 51% and Freswick on 50%. Andrew Whewell at North Berwick is in seventh on 45% and Rob Hughes' final patch, Nybster is on 42%. 

In the 10km comparative, Rich Arthurs had a superb month picking up 12% with Surf Scoter, Woodcock, Black-necked Grebe and Peregrine being the most notable to keep him in the top spot. Nina O'Hanlon at Nybster is in second and Rob Hughes also there in third.

Coot taken by Andrew Whitehouse

Rich Arthurs is joint top in the overall points scored part of the league after having a pretty good month, gaining sixteen points. He is joint with Paul Higson at St Combs and they are both on 111 points. Andrew Whitehouse at Girdle Ness and Torry is just a point shy off making the top spot a three way split, with 110 points scored so far. Nick Littlewood is in third on 104 points while John Ingham is creeping towards the 100 points bench mark at his Nairn patch in fourth. 

In the 10km part of the league, Paul Higson is still on 144 points at St Combs, meaning he is being caught up rapidly by Rich Arthurs at Gullane who has gained twenty points in the last month.

White-billed Diver taken by Nick Littlewood

Inland Ireland: 

Róisín Towe is still the only participant in the Inland Ireland mini-league, she has so far scored 57 points from 54 species at Tramore Valley Park, the best birds being seven Fieldfairs, a Mistle Thrush and the finding of a Little Grebe nest. Birding in a 10km radius from Douglas has scored 79 points here so far.

Coastal Ireland: 

Still no active players in this league. 

Islands: 

Sean Morris at his Kinloch patch on the Isle of Rum is currently in pole position in the comparative Islands league, having picked up 65% so far. Mark Lawlor on his Guernsey patch of Hommet to Rousse is in second place, having seen 48% so far, although can he keep his place with Sean Morris' othe other patch of Kilmory is just one percent behind. Steve Dudley on Westray didn't have an enjoyable month birding his northern isles patch of Westray with battering northerlies for most of the month, meaning he only added three species to his patch year list. John Bowler in fifth at Balephuil on Tiree on the other hand had a stroke of luck with some patch gold, a superb Coal Tit which is possibly of the Irish race! This putting John on 39% scored so far. David Roche on Papa Westray is on 35%, with his March highlight being Black-throated Diver. 

In the 10km league, Sean Morris is again in the lead from the Isle of Rum. He has so far scored 57%, with the highlight for March being a Little Grebe. Mark Lawlor on Guernsey is on 51% to finish March in second. The patch gold didn't stop for John Bowler with a Coal Tit on his 3km patch, it continued into his 10km patch in the form of an Avocet, a first for the island fo Tiree. This puts him on 37% and keeps him just off last place, with Steve Dudley on Westray claiming that for the time being with 36% scored.

Black-throated Diver taken by David Roche

In the overall points scored part of the league, John Bowler is currently in the top spot with 128 points followed by David Roche on 114 points - both the only ones to break hundred points so far. Steve Dudley isn't far from completing this feat however, with 95 points scored. 

In the 10km league, new comer Hugh Harrop is taking pole position after having a very impressive start to the year with the finding of King Eider, Kumlien's Gull and Bonaparte's Gull amongst a host of other goodies on his South Shetland patch. John Bowler from the Isle of Tiree is second on 139 points followed by Steve Dudley on 112 points on Westray.

Coal Tit taken by John Bowler

Estuarine:

Jackie Binks is leading by an eight percent margin with a total of 85% scored so far at Garston and Oglet. The best birds on their patch include Whimbrel, Sanderling and Wheatear. Ravi Grewal at Cliffe is in second, with 77% scored so far. He has a decent list of species which included White-fronted and Barnacle Geese, Ruddy Duck and Scaup. Peter Hazelwood is in third having picked up 59% at Oldbury Power Station, Peter's best birds for March were two summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe and four Cranes. In joint last place with 58% is Gordon Hodgson at Frampton, Splatt and Saul Warth and John Conlin-Hulme at Paull.

 

Wheatear taken by Jackie Binks

The top two are reversed in the overall points scored part of the league compared to the comparative. Ravi Grewal at Cliffe currently leads with a ten point margin, having scored 124 points followed by Jackie Binks at Garston and Oglet on 114 points. Peter Hazelwood isn't far behind in third with 111 points scored.

Under 25s: 

Here is both the comparative and overall scores for the Under 25's scores, which is just 3km² patches only.

Green: 

Here is the comparative leaderboard for the top 20 Green 3km² patches, and also the only comparative scores for the 10km Radius patches. I apologise for the error of last month's table which erroneously had non green patches in the leaderboard!

Here are the Top 20 overall green rankings for the 3km² patches and all 10km Radius patches: 

Thank you so much for reading and we hope you enjoy the rest of your April Patch Birding! Remember to keep us informed and is possible pictures using the #PWC2026, #PatchBirding or #PatchGold hashtags on Twitter and Bluesky! We try to use as many pictures as possible on our blog.

We wish you the best of luck! 

The Patchwork Challenge team!