Bresser and Forest Optics Best Find 2015 - The Winner

Voting is closed and the results are in. The winner is of course Tom Raven's Hudsonian Godwit at Shapwick Heath. It had it all as an inland mega blocker. It was cryptic enough to hide amongst its cogeners but then gave itself up to the masses whilst disappearing on a regular basis. It garnered 95 of the 137 votes cast and rightly wins Tom a pair of Bresser 8.5 x 45 Montana binoculars. Please check out the Forest Optics website as they continue to support us for #PWC2016 and like their facebook page. Of course the Hudwit wasn't Tom's only find of the year with Night Heron, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Dusky and Savi's Warblers all falling to his points cannon amongst others. Our heartiest congratulations to Tom!

Tom Raven's Hudsonian Godwit - Courtesy of James Packer

Despite Mark and James's best efforts to label it 'just a Yellow-legged Gull' in the podcast, Dave Roberts' fine Azorean Gull from Marston STW finishes in second place on 11 votes and 8% of the vote.

Azorean Gull - Ben Ward

Niall Keogh snagged third spot with a wandering Northern Harrier which he initially picked up at Kilcoole and was identified definitively shortly after. The Northern Harrier finished with 8 votes which constituted 6% of the vote.

Northern Harrier - Alan Lauder

The remainder of the top 10 finished like this:

4) Paul Sullivan, Broad-billed Sandpiper - 5 votes/4%
5) Ryan Irvine, Red-flanked Bluetail - 4 votes/3%
6) Dave Suddaby, Two-barred Crossbill -  4 votes 3%
7) Toby Collett, Wilson's Phalarope - 3 votes 2%
8) Alastair Forsyth, Gull-billed Tern - 3 votes 2%
9) Mick Turton, Laughing Gull - 2 votes 1%
10) Paul Parsons, Black Stork - 2 votes 1%

Forest Optics Best Find Competition 2016 - February Roundup

Welcome to the February update for the Bresser and Forest Optics  Best Find Competition! This is the competition open to anyone who finds a fantastically rare bird on patch and as always its prestige is backed up by a truly excellent prize. Last year Bresser and Forest Optics  donated a pair of Bresser Montana 8.5 x 45 binoculars worth a grand total of £665! This years prize is still to be confirmed but will again be a pair of binoculars. For the lucky winner, a prize definitely worth competing for so get yourself out there, you have to be in it to win it. In the meantime, for those looking to upgrade their optics, take a look a their website for the great products they have on offer.

After the 'everything counts again' bonanza of January, February can sometimes be a hard slog. Invariably the best find highlights are made up of wildfowl and gulls in the shortest month as everyone waits for spring. February 2016 was no different.

Bird of the month goes to Julian Wyllie at Baltimore in Ireland. From the other side of the pond, Black Duck is not going to have its own calendar anytime soon but what it lacks in looks it almost makes up for in rarity value! It is also a PWC first and another for our growing Bubo list.

Black Duck © Paul Connaughton (Shearwater Wildlife Tours)

In fact the theme of this write up is largely American orientated. Incredibly John Bowler on Tiree scored maximum points for the second year in a row for American Herring Gull, bagging a few good flight record shots at the same time. At times it shared the same location as a juvenile Kumlien's Gull. John's name is synonymous with this competition, and he added to his self-found rarity haul with a Green-Winged Teal.

Continuing the American theme, two bonus pointers that have been in the headlines frequently in the first two months are American Wigeon and Black Brant. Russell Neave on his new Sanday patch scores the extra points for the former whilst Irene Boston and Toby Collett successfully sifted out the latter from the Brent Flocks around The Wash at Brancaster and Frampton respectively.

American Wigeon, Sanday c/o @SandayRanger

Preceding Niall Keogh's Ring-Billed Gull prediction in the March podcast, Noel Keogh and Neal Warnock at South Dublin Bay and Lough Larne in Ireland scored bonus points for this cracker of a bird.

Ring-Billed Gull in the centre of this pic from Neal Warnock at Lough Larne

The long-staying Long-Billed Dowitcher at Cresswell in Northumberland went on a brief holiday to Iain Robson's Druridge Bay patch on the 7th February.  The final bird of this round up to have crossed the Atlantic was the diminutive Richardson's Cackling Goose which matched the wintering Barnacle flock for size.

Richardson's Goose, Oa c/o David Wood

Coming to birds from destinations closer to home, Common Crane is becoming a more regular bird in the UK. Indeed birds from breeding grounds would not make this round up, but a bird for Marc Lansdowne in the Trent Valley in Leicestershire was less expected.

That leaves us with two records, which whilst not on the same rarity scales as some of those above have added stories to their finds. The first is from Dave Suddaby who usually features in this roundup with his rarity laden garden. His golden touch seems to have moved to his office space as he added a Tundra Bean Goose to his office window list this month! Finally, Ben Rackstraw has moved house and thereby patches. In January he left behind Downham Market locating a Serin on one of his final visits. In February, he made his first visit to Wretton, his new patch and nailed a Great Grey Shrike. Quite some introduction!

Ben Rackstraw's incredible find on his first visit to patch.

Lytchett Bay Annual Report 2015

 Lytchett Bay has been one of the cornerstone patches of PWC and now has four contestants taking part for 2016. Included is an abridged version of the 2015 annual report. The full version is available to download from the Facebook Group.

The Bay was visited on all but 6 days (!) as set out below. Records came from an increasing number of birders but Ian Ballam again takes the honors as an almost “ever present”.

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
29 26 31   30    31      30     31    31      30    31 30   29

2015 proved to be a year of quality and quantity. Lytchett Fields continued to develop as an attractive habitat and there were many excellent birding days in both spring and autumn. Given this change it was perhaps surprising that many of this year’s rarities were found in other parts of the Bay.

Three records are still outstanding with the Dorset Records Panel. They are included here and in this summary marked *. On the assumption that all 3 are accepted then the annual species list reached 160 for the first ever time. Once decisions are forthcoming then updates will be published in future reports.

3 new species were added to the Bay list. Wryneck was long overdue and showed well to those who arrived quickly. A Melodious Warbler* was always a potential addition and a wet, warm August day produced the right fall of warblers. Sanderling, my personal favourite. Completely out of place on the mud at the “back” of Poole Harbour. The Lytchett Bay list is now 222*.

In terms of pure thrill our 2nd Bluethroat probably brought the most joy. Though for the finder, two vis-mig Penduline Tits*, also our 2nd, will never be forgotten. Similar memories will be banked by the finder of another “fly-by”, our 2nd Lapland Bunting which called with jaw dropping clarity overhead.

Other notables included 3rd Great White Egret*, 4th and 5th Egyptian Geese, 5th Little Tern and Black Redstart, 6th Kittiwake.

Redshank bred again and Shelduck bred for the first time in a number of years.

The following species occurred in either greater numbers or greater frequency than ever before. And it was perhaps the spectacle of waders and waterfowl on Lytchett Fields which brought the most pleasure to visiting birders.

Teal, Shoveler, Spoonbill, Marsh Harrier, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Knot, Ruff, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Mediterranean Gull, Wood Pigeon, Kingfisher, Tree Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest.

I have birded the Bay for 24 years and I think this year was my most enjoyable.

Lytchett Bay – people and wildlife

2015 built on the progress which began in 2014 (see last year’s report). Two major access improvements were made and these were supported by improved interpretation and an electronic guide to birding the Bay. A number of events were hosted and there is no doubt that more people were able to enjoy Lytchett Bay and its wildlife than ever before.

The primary improvement in terms of access occurred thanks to a partnership between The Birds of Poole Harbour and the RSPB at Lytchett Fields. With development of some high quality and very bird friendly habitat in the preceding couple of years we had a real desire to open up every day access for people to enjoy the birds. This was realised before the spring migration with the creation of the Sherford and French’s viewpoints. A new view was also installed at The Pool. These changes proved hugely popular with visitors. Thanks to the RSPB’s field management the birds loved the habitat and the views were splendid.

At Lytchett Bay View, Lytchett and Upton Town Council’s excellent leadership in developing the site continued. Thanks to a partnership with The Borough of Poole, Birds of Poole Harbour and support from Viridor landfill tax credit schemes and Wessex Water, a new board walk was installed which created a circular walk linking Turlin Moor and Chad’s Copse. Management works on the whole site were carried out to increase diversity and tree structure. As these changes bedded in the feedback and increased use of the site was very positive. New interpretation was installed in partnership with The Great Heath and a bloom of Pyramidal Orchid’s attracted much interest.

Lytchett Bay View is used by many local people for dog walking and recreation. This board helps draw attention to special nature interest in the site. (S.Robson)

The Great Heath sites continued to improve with better signage and further improvements to footpaths. In partnership with Stour Ringing Group, another successful bird ringing demonstration was “sold out” in late August. 2 guided walks were hosted to share the birds of Lytchett Bay and covered Dorset Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve and Lytchett Bay View.

After last year’s improvements to the Turlin Moor bird screen, The Borough of Poole worked with local charity the Richmond Fellowship to repair the screen and give it a face lift.

Before

After
Attention to small details can make a big difference. Reed management ensured that views of the Bay were retained. (Z.McMinn)

With all of these changes going on we took the opportunity to promote the site. A birders guide was created and this hosted by the Birds of Poole Harbour website and is available here.

http://www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk/sites/default/files//A%20Guide%20to%20Birding%20Lytchett%20Bay-12.pdf

Thanks to this progress our motivation to do more grows. A future vision for Lytchett Fields is in preparation and engagement has begun. Lytchett and Upton Town Council are preparing a management plan for Lytchett Bay View. Community events connected to the Great Heath project are planned for 2016.

Livability, the occupants at Holton Lee are working in partnership with the RSPB to manage land on the south side of the Sherford and this supports the overall vision of seeing the Bay as a whole ecosystem with the future goal of fitting this within the wider context of Poole Harbour.

Finally, the planning application for house building at Policeman’s Lane was granted. This application contains an exciting opportunity to open up a SANG to the west of Slough Lane. This will not only provide opportunity for dog walking and thereby relieve pressure on more sensitive sites it also has the added benefit of creating addition habitat for nature.

On a personal note I’d like to thank everyone from the organisations mentioned for their passion, commitment and support.

Before 2013 there had only ever been 5 records of Spoonbill. This year the species was recorded on 69 dates! (I.Ballam)

Bird Ringing 2015

1904 birds were ringed at Lytchett Bay. Efforts were spread around 3 ringing sites. The banks of the Sherford at Lytchett Fields (512 birds / 8 dates), Sandy Close Pond (131 birds / 16 dates) and at Lytchett Heath and reed bed (1261 birds / 23 dates).

Early summer was blessed with very good conditions and more than 100 birds were ringed on 5 mornings. This included more than 200 on 3 mornings.

Our main target remained the “red listed” Aquatic Warbler but conditions remained almost entirely unfavourable during August. When winds did move to the south east during September we could not take the opportunity.

This quantity of birds produced an excellent selection of re-traps and controls. These are all detailed in the species accounts in the systematic list. Studying the patterns of passerine migrants makes for interesting reading. Several birds make counterintuitive northerly movements during autumn, birds ringed on the same morning in the same weather conditions then head off in entirely opposite directions despite having apparently similar final wintering destinations. More typically we continue to establish that many of our Sedge Warblers move south in staged flights stopping to refuel on the Atlantic coast of France.

Colour-ring reading produced plenty of highlights and interesting information about our visiting waders. Black-tailed Godwits, Avocet and Spoonbill again starred. We also have information on our first colour-ringed Common Sandpiper and Black-headed Gull.

21,802 birds of 82 species have been ringed since 1983. Bluethroat being added to the list this year.

The full details of controls, recoveries and interesting re-traps are in the systematic list. Appendix 2 details the individual species totals at the end of the systematic list.

Acknowledgements
 
Stour Ringing Group would like to thank Wessex Water, The RSPB and the landowner, the Lees Estate, for their kind permission to ring at Lytchett Bay.

The Dorset Wildlife Trust and ARC for their permission to ring on land around Lytchett Heath, we are very grateful for this, the site continued to prove its value to migrant and breeding birds.

Thanks are due to the RSPB, DWT, ARC, Lytchett & Upton Town Council, The Birds of Poole Harbour Charity and The Borough of Poole for their support in relation to various matters associated with their site and we look forward to continuing to work with them in 2016.

I’d like to add additional thanks to Ian Ballam and Paul Morton for their enthusiasm for birding at Lytchett. To friends at Stour Ringing Group for companionship and hard work. Nick & Jacqui Hull who put considerable effort in to collating a checklist of other wildlife, carrying out breeding warbler surveys and operating our first “listening station”. To all of the observers who supplied records and comments via Twitter and other information sources. We look forward to seeing you all again this year.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The first photo of this species at the Bay.(N.Hull)

“Bluethroat Bob” strikes again. 23 years after he caught the last Poole Harbour bird at Keysworth, he went and did it again (S.W.Smith)

This photo of a confiding Firecrest at Lytchett Fields is one of the best I have seen (I.Ballam)

PWC 2015 Review - Hemsby, Ryan Irvine

January

January is normally a time to see all the common resident birds on the patch and hope that a couple decent seawatches can summon up a star bird such as the Red-necked Grebe and Black-throated Diver in 2014. This January the seawatching was relatively tame, a Shag on the 15^th probably the highlight with less than 5 records a year on average.

I didn’t have to wait long for my first patch tick of the year as I picked out 2 tundra Bean Geese amongst a flock of feeding Pink-footed Geese. Numbers fluctuated daily to a maximum of 15 birds on the 16^th and a couple European White-fronted Geese made an appearance on the 8^th. An added bonus to spending every morning searching through the goose flock was another patch tick on the 7^th, two Cranes flying past in the distance, a long overdue patch tick! It didn’t end there, on the 16^th a 1^st winter Yellow-legged Gull was roosting next to the flooded area of the field. Only my second ever on patch! The month ended with a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting over the Kings Loke area, again only my second patch record. That helped my get to 63 species, 80 points for the month equaling my best points tally for January.

February

February is normally a difficult month to add many new species so adding 16 species was pleasing. Seawatching in January may have been disappointing but in early February I added Puffin (4^th patch record), Little Gull and Great Northern Diver along with a few more common seabird species I missed in January. Highlight of the month was also my 3^rd patch tick of the year, a flock of 6 Bewick’s Swans flying overhead. 79 species, 103 points.

Unfortunately this little cracker was a few miles from the patch……

March

I always look forward to March as spring migrants slowly start to drip in. The first Chiffchaff of the year on the 9^th was the first spring migrant, the first of many I was hoping but it didn’t materialise this March as the only other migrant was a Black Redstart on the 20^th. A good passage of waders on the 21^st added Grey Plover, Knot, Ruff, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Woodcock, an unusual time of year for so many species to pass by. The month ended with my earliest ever Manx Shearwater, in fact the first one I’ve seen at Hemsby before June!  97 species, 123 points.

April

April started with a bang as a male Serin visited my garden on the 3^rd, patch tick no.4 of the year. I only had to wait 2 more days for my next patch tick as a Cetti’s Warbler started singing in a garden in the village. A truly unexpected patch tick due to lack of suitable breeding habitat. Common migrants slowly dripped through the patch throughout the month, one of the most enjoyable months of the year as the patch is filled with singing birds but frustratingly no other scarcities amongst them. 121 species, 159 points.

May

May has generally disappointed me since I’ve birded Hemsby, very few additions as all the common migrants pass through in April and a lack of any good scarcities. Fortunately this May bucked the trend to a certain extent. First up was another 6 pointer in the shape of a Rough-legged Buzzard (patch tick no.6) on the 4^th, floating over my head as I tried to photograph a Garden Warbler. A nice stroke of luck. The two Bar-headed Geese flying in off the sea on the 8^th unfortunately provided me with zero points! Sedge Warbler on the 10^th was the next good patch bird, a just about annual bird so always good to catch up with. My 2^nd ever patch Turtle Dove flew north on the 16^th and my first ever spring Hobby also flew through on the same day. 134 species, 178 points.

June

I like June on the patch but I’m not sure why, new species are at a premium and seawatching is incredibly dull. My only patch Red-backed Shrike was in June 2013 and I always feel given the right conditions that something can turn up. The 5^th June was such a day, light SE winds and sunny. As I sat in the office I felt it was a good day for a drift migrant. After work I visited the south end of the patch where there are paddocks and hedgerows hoping for a Hoopoe or shrike. Unfortunately the paddocks were devoid of life and the hedgerows were similarly quiet. I noticed a large flock of hirrundines mobbing something in the distance, soon realised it was a falcon. The sun caught the pale head, it looked very interesting! It landed on telegraph wires and I soon realised I was looking at a female Red-footed Falcon! A find tick, patch tick and beautiful bird! It was soon chased off by a Magpie, flew over the paddocks NW never to be seen again! The rest of the month was generally quiet, the first Crossbills of the year on the 14^th and then a Barn Owl (patch tick no.8) on a walk home from the pub on the 18^th. 139 species, 188 points.

July and August

July is normally a terrible month but August is normally a good seawatching month and migrants start returning but this year I would see neither as work and holidays kept me away from patch for all but four days, Black Tern and Green Sandpiper were two good patch birds on those days. 144 species, 194 points.

September

September is much like May at Hemsby, I expect a lot more than I ever find. An Ortolan Bunting aside in the year prior to PWC starting I haven’t found many good scarcities in September. Work and holidays again limited my time on patch but a Wryneck on the 9^th and my earliest Hemsby Yellow-browed Warbler (12^th) gave me some much need bonus points. Autumn was well in truly in full swing by the end of the month when Brambling and Great Spotted Woodpecker made it onto my list. 151 species, 213 points.

October

The make or break month. If I was to reach my comparative score of 251 points I needed a good October. As it happens I had possibly the best month I will ever have patch birding! It will take an incredible month to beat it anyway, 17 new species and a massive 61 points! It all started with a 2 pointer and my 9^th patch tick of the year. The local gulls were making an uncharacteristic amount of noise and as I looked up I noticed them mobbing an Osprey as it drifted south. A Rock Pipit on the 4^th was a good patch bird, only the 4^th record and all in October. Short-eared Owls started drifting in on the 6^th and by the end of the month I’d seen 15 on patch (+ 1 LEO). My 2^nd ever patch Treecreeper appeared in the Kings Loke on the 9^th (a third one recorded on the 18^th). A good seawatch on the 11^th saw my first patch Balearic Shearwater pass south, tracked down the coast by several seawatchers. A Jack Snipe flew up from my feet in the Kings Loke on the 13^th, only my 2^nd one on patch. All these birds were great patch birds but they don’t make an autumn a great one. The next five days changed that!

I left work early on the 14^th as the weather conditions were ideal for a fall of migrants. The Kings Loke was full of thrushes and as I checked a few hedgerows a Great Grey Shrike popped up on top of the hedge. Yet another patch tick and over the rest of October I saw 3 or 4 other GGS on patch. There had obviously been quite a fall that evening as I walked back to my house the road was littered with exhausted thrushes and Bramblings. A pre-work bash round the Kings Loke on the 16^th provided me with the next bonus point bird, my third patch Pallas’s Warbler in three years. An absolutely stunning bird, even in the rain.

The weekend of the 17^th and 18^th will go down as some of the best birding I have ever done. The 17^th was actually a pretty quiet day, a Redstart the only migrant of note. While checking the Kings Loke several times during the day I flushed a pipit several times, its call was interesting but inconclusive and it always flew away out of view. Frustrating but just one of those things, best let it go. At about 16:45 I was checking the dense scrub in the Kings Loke on last time when I slight movement caught my eye at the top of a bush at eye level. I quickly got my bins onto a greyish brown bird with bright orange flanks and a large beady eye. I only caught a few seconds of it before it dropped out of sight. I hadn’t seen the tail but it had to be a Red-flanked Bluetail. I managed to see it in the middle of the bush about 10 minutes late, pumping its tail but the light conditions were so dull that I still couldn’t pick out any blue in the tail. The next day I was out at first light with a friend and after 1.5 hours searching we found it again in the same bush, showed well for about 45 seconds and we saw the blue in the tail this time, although it wasn’t obvious. A dream find! During the 3 -4 hours after the sighting I nipped off for some food and as I walked back I flushed the pipit from the day before. This time it perched briefly and looked very well marked but it soon buggered off away over the trees again. After a good 2 -3 hour search and finally getting some good photos we were happy we had stumbled across an Olive-backed Pipit, less than 50m from the Red-flanked Bluetail!!! What a day! What a month! My comparative score well and truly smashed thanks to two birds! 168 species, 274 points.

November

Despite having a great autumn so far the seawatching had been pretty terrible all autumn so I was hoping for a few good seawatches in November. The first three weeks didn’t produce good seawatching conditions and additions were few and far between, a Merlin on the 7^th and a small group of Whooper Swans on the 8^th, both less than annual on patch. The Humpback Whale reappeared in front of my house for the 3^rd year running on the 9^th and was seen throughout most of the month thereafter.

Many people think of great seawatches containing thousands of shearwaters or hundreds of skuas and petrels but for my patch they can be as simple as a good passage of waders or wildfowl. The 21^st and 22^nd provided just that, northerly gales produced unprecedented numbers of wildfowl and to a lesser extent waders along with a few good scarcities. I seawatched for 9 hours straight on the 21^st, 5 year ticks and record counts galore later I was a very cold but happy patcher. All the year ticks were patch gold, 2^nd patch records of Pochard, Goosander, Leach’s Petrel and a 3^rd patch Avocet on the 21^st and on the 22^nd an Iceland Gull was a patch tick (14^th of the year!), 3^rd patch record of Purple Sandpiper and a record count of 14 Little Auk. On top of this there were patch record counts of Wigeon (1025), Teal (728), Pintail (162), Goldeneye (105), Shelduck (179), Red-breasted Merganser (26), Shoveler (38), Eider (113) and Dunlin (378). Epic patch birding! 176 species, 292 points.

December

Prior to PWC 2015 I had only ever added one species in December, a waxwing in 2014 so I wasn’t holding out for much and so it proved with only one addition but again another bit of patch gold, my 2^nd Red-necked Grebe for Hemsby on the 11^th.

This finished off a quite amazing year on patch, 2016 has a lot to do to keep up……

177 species

294 points

14 patch ticks -  Bean Goose, Crane, Bewick’s Swan, Serin, Rough-legged Buzzard, Cetti’s Warbler, Red-footed Falcon, Barn Owl, Osprey, Balearic Shearwater, Great Grey Shrike Red-flanked Bluetail, Olive-backed Pipit, Iceland Gull

1 x 15 pointer – Red-flanked Bluetail

1 x 12 pointer – Olive-backed Pipit

9 x 6 pointers – Crane, Serin, Rough-legged Buzzard, Red-footed Falcon, Wryneck, Yellow-browed Warbler, Great Grey Shrike, Pallas’s Warbler, Leach’s Petrel

0 Twitches

Patch Gold – Whooper Swan (4^th & 5^th patch records), White-fronted Goose (3^rd & 4^th), Pochard & Goosander (2^nd & 3^rd), Red-necked Grebe (2^nd), Hen Harrier (2^nd, 3^rd & 4^th), Avocet (3^rd), Purple Sandpiper (3^rd), Common Sandpiper (5^th), Green Sandpiper (4^th), Jack Snipe (2^nd), Puffin (4^th & 5^th), Yellow-legged Gull (2^nd & 3^rd), Turtle Dove (2^nd), Long-eared Owl (4^th & 5^th), Merlin (3^rd), Sedge Warbler (4^th & 5^th), Treecreeper (3^rd &a 4^th) and Rock Pipit (3^rd & 4^th).

Birdtrack records – 7508

Birdtrack complete lists – 237

Forest Optics Best Find Competition 2016 - January Roundup

Following a superb competition in 2015, Bresser and Forest Optics  have once again kindly agreed to sponsor the Best Find Competition this year. Whilst many of the rare birds appear on coastlines and islands, the last two years have seen winners from the estuarine Meare Heath and inland Pugney's Country Park, proving that the bird of the year can appear almost anywhere. A couple of the PWC admin team have predicted a UK first to be found on a patch this year, which if it happens I am sure will be a front-runner for PWC's most prestigious competition. Could it be you?

With such a prestigious competition comes an excellent prize. Last year Bresser and Forest Optics  donated a pair of Bresser Montana 8.5 x 45 binoculars worth a grand total of £665! This years prize is still tbc but will again be a pair of binoculars. An incredibly generous prize I am sure you will agree and we really appreciate their continuing support. Have a look at their website and see what they have to offer.

January is always an exciting month in Patchwork Challenge. Everything counts again, and even the one pointers are all ticks for the year! Bonus pointers can be hard to come by however and often come from scouring flocks of gulls, geese or wildfowl. Perhaps the most surprising find this month however was a Great Snipe at Wanstead Flats for Nick Croft. Flushed from scrub on the 3rd it gave close flight views before ditching down but could not be relocated again despite extensive searching. An amazing bird to find in the autumn in any part of the country, to turn one up in Greater London in January is a superb result, and already puts itself in contention from the off!

The first patch visit of the year for Derek Charles on New Years Day resulted in him finding a Black Guillemot on Lough Neagh, the first inland record for Northern Ireland since 1932! A great start to the year for any patch but even more incredible on an inland site. 

Black Guillemot at Ardmore, Lough Neagh c/o Derek Charles

On his first patch visit of the year, William Rutter located a pale redpoll in a flock at Birling Carrs. Fortunately it stuck around all month, providing the opportunity for many birders to pay a visit to this corner of Northumberland. Definitely one of the most popular birds of the month, there are many excellent photos and discussions on this stunning bird to be found online supporting the identification as Coue's Arctic Redpoll.

Arctic Redpoll at Birling Carrs (photo c/o Sacha Elliott)

Hardly a best find update goes by without John Bowler and Dave Suddaby getting a mention! This month they both scored bonus points for Kumlien's Gull, a second patch record for John, whilst Dave's find had the good manners to then add itself to his office list!

Third winter Kumlien's Gull at Blacksod (photo c/o Dave Suddaby)

American ducks are a feature of the winter with a few long stayers from last year providing points this year but no find bonuses. American Wigeon were found at Hesketh Out Marsh and Scarborough whilst a drake at Steart WWT for Joe Cockram was joined by a Green-winged Teal. Any patcher with a flock of Teal will spend the winter scouring them for their American cousin, and Pete Antrobus, Steve Nuttall and Ross Ahmed also got lucky when the vertical white stripe appeared in their scopes in January.

American Wigeon at Scalby Mills (photo c/o Nick Addey)

Ceri Jones and Peter Howlett bagged points for the same Lesser Scaup which commuted between Cosmeston and Cardiff Bay. There have been a few Surf Scoters on the east coast this winter, and Mike Hodgkin located one on the sea at Aberlady Bay in Scotland. 

In the last couple of years, a couple of the easier bonus pointers (if there is such a thing!) to link up with are Great White Egret and Yellow-browed Warblers. The latter has taken to wintering in a couple of locations in the south-west and Ilya Maclean unearthed a new bird at Lizard Point. New Great White Egrets were at Blagdon Lake and Hale and Pickering whilst a brace graced Conningbrook Lake. The influx of Cattle Egrets last year has left a few stragglers across the UK, but only one of those was a new bird in January with a  single at Topsham on the 3rd helping to boost Martin Elcoate's January points total. Meanwhile a flock of twenty Glossy Ibis at Tramore Backstrand in Ireland must have been quite a sight for Arlo Jacques who must be wishing their was a notable flock size bonus!

Cattle Egret at Topsham c/o Martin Elcoate

Scottish specialities White Billed Diver and White-Tailed Eagle put in appearances at Quoyangry and Balivanich respectively whilst the wintering Great Grey Shrike was relocated at Henlow Grange. Finally, Ben Rackstraw had his first bonus pointer in the form of a Serin on his last visit to his Downham Market patch before moving house!

Serin at Downham Market c/o Ben Rackstraw

Patchwork Challenge Podcast Episode 1: February 2016

Announcing the new Patchwork Challenge Podcast



Welcome to the new Patchwork Challenge podcast. A voice to update you on the latest goings on in PWC and wider birding, the PWC Podcast is here to bring the gossamer tones of Mark Lewis, ably assisted by James Common, Niall Keogh and James Spencer, to your ears. Episode 1 features a round up of the Best finds from #PWC2015 and the leaders in #PWC2016. There is a conversation with Rob Adams from Spurn about migfest, the new Spurn Bird Observatory Trust building and the YWT visitor centre.

You can find PWC at www.patchworkchallenge.blogspot.com ; our twitter is @patchbirding ; we are on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/137291999754823/

Spurn Bird Observatory is www.spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/ and the link to the YWT visitor centre planning application is here: Spurn Planning Application

To vote in the Forest Optics best find competition visit the Best Find Post - this will close at the end of February.

Finally please do visit the Forest Optics website to view their selection of scopes, binoculars and other gear as without them PWC wouldn't be the same

www.marchwooduk.co.uk/products.asp?catID=608

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5XpreEuDAzzZ01RU2VjU2JRcEE/view?usp=sharing

NHBS Continue their Support of PWC

We are delighted to announce that Natural History Bookstore have continued their support of Patchwork Challenge into #PWC2016. They will be awarding the winner of the comparative league with a £50 Voucher and the lucky winner in 2015 was Tom Raven after his glut of rare birds including Dusky Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egrey, Night Heron and of course the Hudsonian Godwit on the Somerset Levels.

To keep up to date with everything NHBS has to offer please follow them on twitter where they are @nhbsNews , like them on Facebook  and on follow them on Instagram where they are @nhbs_wildlife 

Why buy from NHBS?  1. Supporting conservation 2. Unique product range 3. Rapid international service 4. Amazing customer experience 5. Experts in natural history 6. Our core values www.nhbs.com

Nick Morgan - Ainderby Steeple #PWC2015 Review

2015 was my second year of PWC so the competition for the comparative league title was a real added incentive to get out in the field this year.

January started quietly but I managed to pick up most of the regular resident and wintering species. Pick of the birds were Green Sandpiper, Redshank and Grey Wagtail giving a January total of 64 species.

February’s highlight was undoubtedly Water Rail, a long anticipated first record for the parish.

But the second patch sighting of Goldeneye and the first winter record of Little Egret were also noteworthy. A cracking flock of 200+ buntings got all the common species ticked off and February also turned up Oystercatcher, Siskin and wintering Blackcap pushing the list to 72 species.

March is the best chance of finding Whooper Swans here as they move up through the Vale of Mowbray but with no standing water on the patch it’s mainly a matter of luck so a group of nine flying over was a bonus. A flock of Thirteen Goosander,  Shelduck, Barn Owl and the first summer migrants, Chiffchaff and Wheatear, helped push the March total to 78 species.

April was productive with this typically skulking Grasshopper Warbler a new patch tick for me.

A pair of Little Ringed Plover on a small field pool were #patchsilver and Red Kite and Cuckoo (depressingly my first patch record for almost a decade) as well as a number of regular summer migrants pushed me on to 89 species by the month end.

May added Whinchat, a very scarce migrant in the parish, and the first of a record number of Hobby sightings (chasing Swallows around the church). With the rest of the summer migrants ticked off  I was up to 99 species, 10 ahead of the equivalent point in 2014, a further spur to getting out there…

It then ground to a halt with no new year ticks in June or July although searching for them gave me a good picture of the breeding birds on the patch including the best ever year for Barn Owl and at least 10 singing Corn Buntings.

Apart from Chiffchaff and Blackcap most summer migrants were noticeably scarce although it was better than recent years for Spotted Flycatcher.

August got me back on track with some good local finds including another patch first in the form of three Mandarin, a Yellow-legged Gull amongst hundreds of large gulls loafing by the Swale and Common Sandpiper on the river. In late August a day of torrential rain dropped my first and second patch records respectively of Tree Pipit and Stonechat into the same field. Together these moved me on to 104 species.

September added Osprey and my first Lesser Redpoll of the year and for the first time I crept ahead of Steve Ward in Wensleydale, literally my nearest rival. A skein of 100 Pink-footed Geese and a cracking Peregrine over the house in October kept me in top spot in the Inland North Comparative League.  

The second winter period was dominated by floods but despite good numbers of common birds I only managed to add Wigeon to my annual tally in November and Steve leap-frogged me into first place.

Floods

So it all came down to the last month. The floods attracted record numbers of Teal and over 1000 Golden Plover but more importantly from a PWC point of view the first parish record of Shoveler, my first winter record of Greenshank and only my second patch record of Gadwall…

Giving me a final total of 112 species/120 points. Enough to finish a hair’s breadth ahead of Steve.

With Steve in it again and Chris Knight entering a patch in the neighbouring village, 2016 is hopefully shaping up to be another year of enjoyable birding and intense if friendly rivalry…