PWC 2013 Review - Thetford, Nick Moran

Nick Moran talks us through a year in the life of Thetford birding.....

JANUARY
Although I was 200 miles from patch on New Year’s Day, 2/1 provided a good start to the year with Shoveler (my first January record), Pochard and Goosander all present at the Nunnery Lakes. Relocating Thetford’s Black-bellied Dipper on 4/1 in a small tributary of the River Thet – where it went on to delight the crowds for the next 3 months – was a big relief, as was chancing on a Waxwing on 30/1. A cold snap mid-month produced a record movement of 35 Skylark and smaller numbers of Meadow Pipit, and a smart adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the iced-over floods on 20/1.
81 species (80 for Foot It), 84 points


Here’s the Big Dipper. Everyone’s seen a gazillion pics of Thetford’s one – you really don’t need to see another, do you? © The Internet

FEBRUARY
With January’s Foot It competition only just over, Bittern (5/2) and Jack Snipe (10/2) both appeared in early February to taunt me but were welcome 2-point additions for PWC! My earliest-ever returning Curlew arrived on 15/2, though it was 2 weeks before another was recorded. A Barnacle Goose on 11/2 was surely category C (at best!) but good to get out of the way early in the year.
85 species, 90 points

MARCH
The month’s additions began with Great Crested Grebe – very scarce in Breckland in winter – and Goldeneye on 6/3, before Herring Gull was belatedly added 12/3. Prolonged freezing weather in the second half of the month may well have had a hand in two local megas, both on 24/3: an obliging female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – my 150th species at the Nunnery Lakes – and an unprecedented flock of 15 Little Gull (flying over a housing estate)! A Stone-curlew hunkered down on the frozen ground on 26/3 looked even more grumpy than usual, while a Stonechat (30/3) probably wished it was elsewhere too.
93 species, 103 points

APRIL
Shelduck and Red Kite started the month well on 2/4 but a fortnight in Spain mid-month meant it took until 23/4 before I recorded most of the returning summer migrants. A Nightingale – barely annual on patch now – piped up on 24/4 before going on to hold territory on our CES ringing site for the next 2 months. Other good migrants came in the form of Lesser Whitethroat (25/4), Whinchat (27/4) and Wheatear (29/4). Fellow patcher (though not PWCer – yet!) Neil Calbrade struck patch gold on 24/4 with Firecrest AND Long-eared Owl, both of which I was able to see. Sadly the latter appeared to have an injured leg, though that did render its choice of roost site unusually conspicuous.
113 species, 127 points


Long-eared Owl at the Nunnery Lakes 24/04/2013 © Nick Moran

MAY
May might be exciting on the coast but it marks the beginning of the summer doldrums inland. Little Ringed Plover (5/5) and Hobby (8/5) were the only additions though Siskin (1/5) and Snipe (2/5) were my latest-ever spring records. On the other hand, ‘May patch ticks’ of Herring Gull, Barn Owl and Sand Martin are as much a reflection on my lack of effort in previous Mays than anything else.
115 species, 129 points

JUNE
Following on from where May left off, June was hard going. Still just about annual, Spotted Flycatcher (21/6) was a welcome new species for the year; less predictable and more welcome still was a cream-crown Marsh Harrier (25/6).
117 species, 132 points

JULY
The Nunnery Lakes offers little in the way of wader habitat but the floods were still wet enough to pull in Green Sandpiper and Greenshank (both 8/7). A pair of Turtle Dove – constituting a patch rarity these days – flew through on 14/7 and a family party of Common Tern, another less-than-annual species, hung around for a few days from 18/7. ‘July patch ticks’ featured such embarrassments as Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and House Sparrow, showing how little effort I’ve put in during July in the past.
121 species, 136 points

AUGUST
The faint hope of more waders was just about realised via a Common Sandpiper (8/8), whilst a ‘summer’ Peregrine (14/8) was more of a surprise. Yellow Wagtail (23/8) was good, though a reserve record count of 5 around the feet of the cattle 6 days later was even better.
124 species, 140 points

SEPTEMBER
As coastal patches began groaning under the weight of scarce and rare migrants from August Bank Holiday onwards, deep inland a birdless vacuum developed. The mood was not helped by me dipping an unseasonal Hawfinch found by a colleague, nor by ‘September patch ticking’ Wheatear. My one and only ‘dot month’.
124 species, 140 points


My PWC 2013 species accumulation via BirdTrack, showing just how poor early autumn can be inland!]

OCTOBER
Another glut of migrants on the coast (except the Scillies, where I was) and another dearth of decent birds inland. The one addition did come with a story though: whilst filming a piece about BirdTrack for BBC Countryfile 29/10, a distinctive chacking drew my attention and sure enough, a Ring Ouzel shot from one impenetrable hawthorn thicket to another!
125 species, 142 points


Ring Ouzel at the Nunnery Lakes 03/11/2013 © Graham Clarke

NOVEMBER
Suddenly autumn penetrated 45 miles inland! An adult Mediterranean Gull on 2/11 was simultaneously added to my house list AND patch list (courtesy of a quick leap of the Nunnery Lakes reserve boundary fence at the bottom of my garden!). Gull action went up another notch mid-month with a patch mega: Kittiwake (19/11); there’s only one previous record! The very next day, November 2013 cemented its place in personal patching history when, in the worst weather I braved all year (there’s a lesson here somewhere!), a drake Green-winged Teal appeared in front of me! By PWC scoring standards that was only my second 6-pointer in 4½ years of trying (the other being Crane, far more likely round here). The month’s other new bird was Little Owl (4/11), finally secured following the longest-running tip-off ever – I was told about it by a colleague on 27/2!
129 species, 153 points

DECEMBER
There was still time for one more: Common Redpoll (1/12)! Despite maintaining near-daily visits for the rest of the month (and taking the cumulative hours-on-patch past the 400 mark for the year), I couldn’t eke out anything else. Still, 130 equalled my best-ever Nunnery Lakes year list (though 3 species – Little Owl, Dipper and Waxwing weren’t recorded on the reserve itself) and 155 beat my record points total by 8! Needless to say, a Hawfinch turned up on 1/1/2014…
130 species, 155 points
And finally, two more graphs to summarise the year’s patchworking:


My PWC 2013 species by month via BirdTrack; 80 or more species recorded in all bar 3 months, 95 species recorded in April


A fairly consistent level of effort was only punctuated by April and October holidays. I managed 409 hours on patch in 2013

Stobswood PWC review 2013, James Common.

For me 2013 marked the best year yet for my little patch at Stobswood, Northumberland. Though still in its infancy the site holds a good mix of habitats including open agricultural land, mature forest and a number of relatively new pools created as part of an opencast reclamation scheme subsequently attracting a diverse range of species. Constantly commuting between university and home this year has certainly taken its toll on my patching efforts however resulting in me missing a few rather good birds with Kittiwake, Long-Eared Owl, Little Owl and Brambling to name a few. This in mind I still managed a final score of 110 points for 103 

species with some memorable and extremely enjoyable encounters along the way, not bad for such a new site!

Jan-April

Jan-April was spent at university (and in the Gambia) resulting in very little time spent on the patch with only conspicuous and common species noted during this time including the usual tits, finches and corvids though Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Lesser Redpoll in the garden at least gave me something interesting to look at.

May

Finally managing to get back for some serious birding I quickly upped the year list to 64 species picking up some patch scarcities such Gadwall, Shoveler, Barn Owl and Stock Dove as well as a pair of patch firsts in the form of both Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail. The highlight of the month however defiantly goes to the Avocet located on a temporary flash just up the road from my home, great birds.

June

70 species noted this month (my highest count for any month in 2013) with new birds including Tawny Owl, Grey Partridge andBuzzard alongside a couple of new wader species with the most surprising of these being the lone Black-Tailed Godwit noted on the north pool mid month. The usual summer visitors of Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Sand Martin, Chiffchaff and my first Cuckoo of the year also made for a interesting month.

July

Common Sandpiper and Greenshank provided new ticks in July alongside an out of season Short-Eared Owl and most welcome of all a male Marsh Harrier which loitered at the site all month undoubtly making use of the plentiful Mipits and Skylarks breeding on the reclaimed grassland. Elsewhere only a wayward Sanderling provided anything new.

August

Little Stint and Little Ringed Plover where the highlights of this month providing me with a few welcome points and renewed sense of hope whilst other patch ticks came in thick and fast in the form of Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Lesser Whitethroat and Tree Sparrow though most surprising of all was the Great Crested Grebe that put in a brief but no less enjoyable appearance on the 15^th. Golden Plover and Peregrine topped off what had been a very rewarding 30 days on the patch.

September-October

Back to university so very little seen in the way of new birds though more widespread species such as Yellowhammer, Bullfinch,Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dunlin and Wigeon were all noted on my infrequent visits home.

November

November marked the appearance of my first ever patch Whooper Swans as well as the new additions of Pink-Footed Goose and Cormorant though the highlight of the month was without a shadow of a doubt the lone Snow Bunting found feeding around the outskirts of the west pool during a practically dreary mornings visit. With these winter beauties cropping up just down the road at Druridge I had expected at least one to turn up but this made encounter no less species when it finally did occur! Elsewhere only a few Jay and Goldcrest were of particular interest.

December

The final month of the year turned up a host of common winter migrants with Redwing, Fieldfare and Mistle Thrush all boosting the years tally somewhat whilst lingering Golden Plover, Redshank, Pink-Footed Geese and Curlew entertained me somewhat as I frantically dashed around in search of one last year tick. Two days before Christmas I got my wish in the form of a handsome drake Goldeneye located on one of the shallow (surely fishless) pools to the east of the site. Not a rarity by any standards but still a welcome and somewhat surprisingly addition to the year list.

So there you have it, nothing particularly rare but a few nice scarcities noted in the form of Snow Bunting, Marsh Harrier, SEO, Avocet and Little Stint I can hardly complain! Birding is about the enjoyment after all and I have certainly enjoyed participating in the PWC this year and am greatly looking forward to 2014 and whatever It may bring.

My 2013 PWC review from Barmston

Nominally Barmston has been my patch since I moved to East Yorkshire 6 years ago but until 2013 I hadn't really been there very often with the lure of Flamborough, Filey and Spurn just too much on those special days. Despite this I had managed some amazing days there and after finding Rough-legged Buzzard, and Glaucous Gull along with the rather distant day of a thousand Little Auks (2007? when the Farnes had 28,000) I realised it must have a little potential... I signed up for PWC in November 2012 and had a few exploratory visits to get a feel of the site - I was hugely excited.

Kumlien's Gull in February

The year was everything I had hoped, a star bird, some decent finds and learning about the site. Like the other guys I will do a month by month breakdown but my year can be divided into three parts which reflect the success and additions I made. The first 3 months I was self employed and due to the sporadic nature of my work I managed to spend a great deal of time on patch, finding a lot but seeing few migrants as spring didnt really arrive until after I got a full time job in Newcastle in April. That limited my patching majorly and I tried to keep visiting but effort levels dropped. I kept enthused though and in late August I joined the PWC team giving them the third pair of hands that was required with the level of success the competition has had. I hit the patch more often and in a more structured way turning up bits and pieces without getting the big one that I craved. This year...

January

I was well and truly wrapped up in Footit last year - a great competition and it took my focus at the start of the year. Despite this I still managed six visits and 63 species in the first month. Top of the pops was the 1w Kumlien's Gull which wintered last year. This much debated individual returned later in the year as a 2w and has firmed itself in in the Kumlien's camp. The supporting cast of both Dark-bellied and Pale-bellied Brents, European White-fronted Goose, Woodcock and Jack Snipe were concentrated by extremely cold snowy conditions whilst other visitors were storm driven such as the Red-breasted Mergansers that flew south over my head and a couple of Little Gulls dancing over the surf after a huge blow that removed most of the sand from the beach. Snow Buntings were ever present in the dunes to the north. One of the highlights of the month was a Water Rail that took to feeding on the upper beach in the snow.

Snow Bunting in January

February

I was offshore for two weeks, working in Cumbria for a week and in Spain for 5 days looking at Wolves in February leaving not much time for patching but I did get a few common waders ticked off and better views of the Kumlien's Gull which was still present although quite bleached by this time.

Purple Sandpiper in April

March

The so called Beast from the East dumped lots of Lobsters and assorted dead fish on the beach leading to squillions of gulls and I managed to get onto the patch plenty which was a good thing. A smart summer plumage Mediterranean Gull and lots of Kittiwakes joined the throng which still included the now snow white larid from Baffin Island. A couple of Little Gulls offshore were nice as was a passing Great Northern Diver. The pipit field acquired its name as half a dozen Scandi Rock Pipits spent most of the month there including a very pink breasted bird. A good passage of Jack Snipe went through in mid to late March with up to four birds seen daily. On the dung heap near Barmston drain a male Continental Stonechat took up residence, black underwings and all. Very smart indeed, far smarter than the drab Black Redstart which put in a brief appearance. None of the 'proper' March migrants emerged and indeed Chiffchaff never did...

Common Scoter in May

April

With work starting properly in April only a single visit on the 7th was achieved. The Stonechat and the Kumlien's Gull were still present with some Scandi Rock Pipits and a couple of Jack Snipe. Not particularly spring like but the first passage Curlews and a Bar-tailed Godwit kept the species count ticking along. A few Siskin in the plantation were the only ones of the year.

Corn Bunting in May

May

I was desperate to get to the patch in May to find out what bred on site and where with the lure of several easy year ticks in recently arrived migrants. In the end I managed a couple of visits. A slightly cool day on the 11th and a warmer one on the 19th. The first visit yielded a nice surprise in a singing Corn Bunting. This part of the country still has them hanging on so it was great to see one on patch. Sedgies piped up in the reeds and a Common Sandpiper pratting about on the sewage outflow was a brucie bonus. A few Yellow Wagtails turned into a plethora by the following weekend and a female Common Scoter on the drain looked out of place whilst above my head one of the local Peregrines was making short work of the Feral Pigeons. My first Wheatear of the year (I know...) was well received and looked to be heading to Greenland whilst on the beach a Whimbrel was parading about. 107 species already.

Continental Stonechat in March

June

Due to work I failed to get to the patch but I was getting to know my away patch at St Mary's, Northumberland a bit better with a rather smart adult Long-tailed Skua.

July

Another blank month...poor work really but then I was either in Scotland or Northumberland the whole time.

August

Still no time for patching. It was driving me nuts not getting down to Barmston but I had managed a bit more time at St Mary's. Mostly I was in Kefalonia enjoying the sun.

September

Into the PWC admin fold and back onto the patch. Some decent seawatching failed to produce a shearwater but both the common skuas went past in decent numbers and Pintail and Eider were both new for the year. A juvenile Black Tern doing the worst plunge diving I have ever seen was the highlight of the month. On the land nothing new was added as I failed to visit when there was any east in the air.

October

Again I failed to visit when there was any decent weather so all I got was a hot hot day with all the local raptors up including 3 Peregrines dogfighting and a good number of Buzzards and Sparrowhawks messing about on thermals. Grey Wagtail was new for the year.

November

A Richard's Pipit came bounding out of the marsh calling its head off. A likely bird in a likely place but a very happy birder. In terms of additions it had slowed right down and my score was plateauing rapidly. The local holiday camp tried to introduce pay and display on the car park. Hmm. Apparently this was when the Kumlien's Gull came back but it took me until the following month to see it again.

December

The all white save for a bit of grey in the primaries gull was back on my patch and amongst the screaming south westerlies were a few other bits and pieces. I added Black-throated Diver to complete the commoner trio and Razorbill was the second auk of the year. I discovered a big area of cover crop which held lots of buntings and finches including a good number of Corn Buntings - hopefully they would stay into the new year. A (the?) family party of Pale-bellied Brents made a late appearance with birds feeding on the fields to the south of the marsh.

Overall I managed 121 species and 155 points for 2013. I also managed 28 complete lists for Birdtrack and 930 records. Not too bad for a first timer although I missed all the big passage days aside from one seawatch.

PWC 2013 - Askernish

Firstly i'd like to say that i've really enjoyed taking part in the PWC during 2013, it certainly gave me extra incentive to get out there and my daily routine now involves getting up, making coffee, running the scope over the patch.

The final results:-

Ian, 119 spp / 169 points / 129.7% (This includes 12 points for finding the Gyr)

Yvonne, 106 spp / 140 points / 103.7%

The extra effort we put into patching this year certainly shows in our percentages.

January - The month started off steadily but the 26th bird to be added to the list was pretty special - Gyr Falcon - the story of which was told here on the PWC blog just after the event. We wondered if we'd peaked too early in the year...

Ian had to go down to his Essex homeland  mid-January when his mum was taken ill, leaving me to guard the patch myself. I was able to get out most days, searching in the vain hope that i could find something really good that he wouldn't be able to see (nothing like a bit of marital competition). The best i could manage was Water Rail - it took Ian until November to claw this one back :)

February - Was a pretty dire month weather-wise with gales and rain and even I couldn't get up much enthusiasm for going out in winds of up to 60+ mph. Bird of the month was Short-eared Owl, an early returning bird. I found an off-patch Bonaparte's Gull while doing a goose survey.

March - A month of highs and lows

We were only at home, and therefore on-patch, for the first and last week of March. The month started off very well, adding Glaucous Gull, Merlin, Gannet and Little Grebe on the 1st. Happy about the Glauc as white-wings have been in pretty short supply in the Uists this winter. New for our patch was Pintail on the 2nd and Pink-footed Goose on the 3rd.

We returned from our trip down south late on the 21st March and headed out the next day eager to see if there was anything new about. Ian had been really cheesed off that i'd seen Rock Pipit while he was away in February, and he wasn't holding out much hope of finding one, they're pretty scarce here on the patch. The first bird we found that morning was a dead Rock Pip by the front door. Ian had a brief dilemma about whether he could/should tick it. No chance!

I had quite a bit of work to keep me busy indoors so Ian was able to have a few walks out on his own. My low point of the month was when he phoned me to say he was watching a White-tailed Eagle flying out of patch. You'll have to use your imagination about how blue the air was and how many names i called him. WTE - bloody 3 points + 3 points finders bonus! @!*x$~/ Still, at least it's not like the Rock Pip - i should get to see one before the end of the year...

Sandwich Tern was a new patch bird. Ian saw it on the 30th March as it flew south along the beach. (More blue air). However, luck was with me as the next evening we headed to the beach to take some photos of the waders and there it was, flying south again. Five minutes later and i would have missed it. Marital harmony (apart from the White-tailed Eagle) restored.

April - Always a pleasant month on the patch, a mix of birds passing through on their way north, winter visitors still hanging around and summer visitors arriving. I was working full time for the next three months (doing wader surveys) sadly not leaving so much time for patching, but one bonus (apart from the wages) was the patch was one of the chosen areas for the survey work, meaning one day a week spent surveying there. 13 species were added to my total, nothing out of the ordinary but always good to see Whimbrel, Great Skua and Arctic Terns.

May - A good month, Common Sandpiper was feeding in the garden, an unseasonal Waxwing was in the neighbour's garden late one evening and a stonking male Ruff was out on the machair for a few days. Highlights were Arctic skua and Corncrake.

June - Just one bird added to the list, a Turtle Dove trapped and ringed in the garden.

July - Red-throated Diver was the only bird added to my list. We left the island on the 22nd July to head down to the Med to man the Strait of Gibraltar Bird Observatory to help out with a trans-Saharan migrants project. It's a hard life but someone has to do it…

August, September - away

mid-October - Ian returned to the patch and was able to add quite a few to his list.

November - i returned to the patch after Gibraltar i had wandered around northern Spain for a few weeks (500 miles backpacking on foot on the Camino de Santiago). Only one species added to my list  in November - a White-tailed Eagle. Bit grumpy when i found out that Ian had finally found the elusive Rock Pipit. Ian was lucky enough to find an off-patch American Robin while doing a BTO thrushes survey.

December - A Water Rail was in the garden most days. Despite trawling the seal and dolphin carcasses on the beach no Ivory Gull was found on the patch (and much to my dismay I was stranded up in Lewis when the one turned up in Uist, the ferry sailing back to the Uists cancelled for two days). 2 Glossy Ibis were seen on a croft just off-patch but no matter how hard we tried we couldn't see them from the patch. No further species added to the list, and I ended the year on 106 species, 140 points - 103.7% 

It was interesting analysing my sightings - there were quite a few species that I saw during 2013 that I hadn't seen during 2012 and vice versa, quite a few species i'd seen in 2012 that just didn't turn up in 2013. Birds that I didn't see that I should have seen? - Corn Bunting, Chiffchaff, Blackcap. Sadly there was no Gropper for the 2nd year running.

What would I have missed if I hadn't been away for an extended period? Common Rosefinch, Crossbill, Yellow-browed Warbler and Whitethroat all turned up in the neighbour's garden.

I'm happy to say that our enthusiasm has rubbed off and this year two new patches have been signed up in the Uists - Stuart who's patch is around Balivanich (and who found not 1 but 3 Glossy Ibis on it on the 1st January 2014!! 12 points!!) then there is Brian who has chosen the RSPB reserve at Balranald - he found Harlequin Duck on his patch last year, so the potential is huge! When I last saw Brian on the 3rd January he was already up to 65 points!

I'd like to extend my thanks to Mark, Ryan and James for all your hard work organising

Good luck to everyone who is patching in 2014. Enjoy!

Yvonne B

Kev Rylands Dawlish Warren PWC review of 2013

Having spent the previous two years UK and then Devon yearlisting I had already decided I needed to spend more time on patch in 2013. The combination of Patchwork Challenge and a move three miles closer were additional encouragement.  A good decision as it turned out as the Warren had a record year with 201 species recorded and I managed to connect with 184 (+2) of these (worth 295 Patchwork points) beating my previous best (182) set way back in 2001. Not only that I managed six patch ticks along the way - I’ll take that return any year!

www.dawlishwarren.co.uk

January

The year started with a few welcome leftovers, Bearded Tit, Black-necked Grebe and Water Pipit, but you can’t get a better start than a patch tick on New Year’s Day (except perhaps two patch ticks…) so finding a male Serin with Greenfinch in Dead Dolphin Wood, the first at DW since 1991, was huge bonus. I managed 83 species on the 1^st and broke the Patchwork ton, but maybe I had peaked too early as I then went on to miss three very good Warren birds; Yellowhammer, Goosander and Woodcock before restoring the balance with a Long-tailed Duck right at the end of the month. Running total 98/121

February

A relatively quiet month although it is always a relief to get the potentially tricky Black-throated Diver on the year list. Late in the month, a quick twitch for Gadwall showed how desperate I was to keep the counter ticking over…

Running total 104/129

March

Migrants took a long time coming and the first addition wasn’t until the 16^th when a Red-necked Grebe pitched in offshore. The next day saw my first Wheatear and a record spring passage of Chaffinch that included a few Brambling. Another site record followed the next week with 70+ Chiffchaff seemingly everywhere but just single Blackcap and Sand Martin accompanied them. I had the last week of the month off but it was only the challenge that kept me in the field with Merlin,  Little Gull and an early Osprey standout birds until the equally cold, windy and unpromising morning of the 26^th. On this date the first DW Stone-curlew since 1987 flew past me and landed on the golf course, a patch mega that unfortunately didn’t linger and even worse was only worth a miserly TWO points – surely that beats a Whimbrel?!!!

Running total 116/147

April

Despite the conditions and lack of migrants April opened with a twitch – a Hoopoe on Warren Point and a tick for most locals gripping back my 1993 bird. The month continued with most regular migrants turning up albeit in low numbers and highlights including singing Firecrest, a Long-eared Owl one evening post-work and on the 25^th only my second ever patch Marsh Harrier pre- work. Both would likely have been missed without the Patchwork Challenge spurring me on. The next day saw my third patch tick of the year a Montagu’s Harrier – the 5^th record and first on site since 1979! Pleasingly all the regulars were on site and were able to connect with this excellent patch record, a great end to the month, roll on May…

Running total 135/178

May

The focus switched offshore in May with terns and skuas in the offing, several cracking spooned Pomarine Skua were noted but the month’s highlight were a lingering group of Roseate Tern, peaking at a Devon record 20 birds. Also offshore the year’s first national rarity, a returning Bonaparte’s Gull roosting on the sea on several dates. Wader passage also picked up during the month with a smart brick-red Curlew Sandpiper, a lone Ruff (scarce on site) and a twitch for a patch mega, Temminck’s Stint, only the third record and first for 21 years - and so another blocker bites the dust…the same evening saw two Turtle Dove, a species that is no longer annual on site.  The month ended with another self-found bonus with a Short-toed Lark flying along the Dune Ridge before running around Warren Point for an hour or so, only the fourth Warren record and first ever in spring.

Running total 150/208

June

Midsummer and as expected a quiet month, the main target species Storm Petrel showed up mid-month otherwise Tawny Owl and an early Yellow-legged Gull were the only additions. However wader passage did produce at least five ‘Sanderbling’ from Greenland, Iceland and Ghana and the Slavonian Grebe was present for its sixth summer.

Running total 153/213

July

Even worse than June because as the autumn passage started expectations were raised only to be continually dashed in the field.  Common Sandpiper was the only new addition until a Balearic Shearwater on the last day of the month. Ringing recoveries did however reveal some interesting facts about the passage terns on site.  I managed to miss what turned out to be the only Long-tailed Skua of the year and started my autumn long quest to dip every Coal Tit found on site…

Running total 155/216

August

A mixed start to the month, connecting with Little Ringed Plover, but same day missing the only Crossbill of the year. Things remained slow (Zebra Finch dip aside) but midmonth the first Garden Warbler of the year finally showed up and I dipped another Goosander and three different Green Sandpiper (less than annual). Things started to look up again following a thunderstorm on the 25^th which produced a Black Tern, two Wood Sandpiper and three Little Stint in a crazy ten minute period. The east coast fall just about filtered through the next day with a Pied Flycatcher on Warren Point and over the next two days a Whinchat and my only Tree Pipit of the year. These were eclipsed however by another quality find at the end of the month - my second ever patch Pectoral Sandpiper.

Running total 165/235

September

A quiet start to the month was broken by an early morning phone call on the 8^th ‘Get up, Get up, Red-backed Shrike by the Main Pond now’.  I somehow managed to get out of bed and on to the bird before others actually on site when it was found! The first at the Warren since 1998 and a welcome grip back for me for a change J. The bird, an immature, remained for several days but was actually the start of a bad run as next day the site rangers suppressed a Lesser Yellowlegs (2^nd record) and a group twitching the shrike had a flyover White Stork (3^rd record). Normal service was resumed the next weekend though with a Buff-breasted Sandpiper and the first Golden Plover of the year, I came back to twitch the latter! Another twitch was required soon after with the sixth Rose-coloured Starling for DW present around the car park where a site record 154 House Sparrow were also counted. The month ended for me with an Eider close in offshore - a rare bird this year. The Warren wasn’t however done, whilst I was on Scilly for a week I missed Wryneck, Black Guillemot, Garganey, a Black Brant and some more Coal Tit.

Running total 170/250

October

October couldn’t quite keep up the hectic pace but the Black Brant did make a welcome reappearance and the national influx yielded at least three Yellow-browed Warbler on site. A brief run mid-month did see Cirl Bunting, Lapland Bunting, three Whooper Swan and Yellowhammer added on consecutive days but then October fizzled out and I had to scrape the barrel to get another year tick before the month’s close – Red-legged Partridge.

Running total 177/267

November

November lived up to its billing as one of the best birding months on the Warren, indeed I had my second most valuable day of the year, points-wise, early in the month.  For the most part autumn seawatching had been very disappointing but that was to change. On the 2^nd, whilst hoping for a Leach’s Petrel, I had the (mis)fortune to find the site’s second ever November record of Storm Petrel. I compounded this mistake by dipping a real Leach’s Petrel (and the years only Snow Bunting) the next day. So with another front sweeping across the Atlantic I took the 5^th off and waited… there were no more petrels but the site’s third White-rumped Sandpiper (first since 1998 and another patch tick) and fourth Great White Egret (first since 2002) did fly past over the course of the morning, and whilst this was going on two Black Redstart hopping around on the seawall were an overdue addition to my year list. Three species and 14 more points just like that. A week later, from the same spot, seawatching produced another unexpected patch tick when the first Warren Red-crested Pochard since 1999 flew south. Other highlights in November included a couple of Siberian Chiffchaff, a twitch for a drake Scaup that eventually drifted into the recording area, a couple of Velvet Scoter and an obliging White-fronted Goose whilst the Bonaparte’s Gull reappeared and another Lapland Bunting flew over.
Running total 186/295

December

As it often does in any year list December drew a blank, despite there being plenty of possible new ticks none were forthcoming. My biggest omission was Coal Tit (could record them daily if I counted beyond the boundary) but I dipped another 16 species whilst some (half)expected species such as Sooty Shearwater, Spoonbill, Pochard, Kentish Plover, Grey Phalarope, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and even Grasshopper Warbler simply failed to show. With some more effort, decent seawatching weather and any sort of autumn vismig who knows what score could have been reached…
Final total 186/295

2014

Many of December’s rarities remained into 2014 with Bonaparte’s Gull, Siberian Chiffchaff, Velvet Scoter, Black Brant and Long-tailed Duck all still present (though I have yet to catch up with the latter two) however I don’t expect to hit the patch as hard this year so expect a 2014 score closer to previous averages of 170/240.

Thanks to all the regulars on site (one of whom actually beat my score) for sharing and finding many of these birds through the year and of course to the Patchwork Challenge team for all their work and for organising my year in the first place.

www.dawlishwarren.co.uk

2013 – THE PUGNEYS PWC YEAR - Jonny Holliday

First the bare statistics :

  Total Species = 149

  Total Points = 189

  Species Self-found = 143

All the above are personal records and right from the start of January it was clear that entering the Patchwork Challenge was  going to provide that extra bit of motivation to get out on the patch more often, for longer, and look harder. I was going to add up the amount of visits and hours spent on-patch for the year but realised that ...A: Thats a bit sad....and B: it was far to many and the missus might see this!

   So heres a quick review of the year from me and the mighty PUGNEYS!!

JAN

The leftovers from 2012 provided a great start to the year with Long-tailed Duck, Scaup, Smew and 'Mealy' Redpoll all available on the 1^st. A Glaucous Gull on the 2^nd was a much sort after patch-tick and Caspian and Y L Gulls were easily seen in the gull roost. Regulars such as Bittern, Jack Snipe and Whooper Swan made it a month to remember.

FEB

A quieter month but I managed to dig out several tricky patch birds with Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker and Brambling being the highlights along with another record of Glaucous Gull and the first tentative hint of spring in the shape of Ringed Plover, Curlew and Oystercatcher.

MAR

The month was slow to get going but a Stonechat on the 17^th was the 1^st rec for 2 years. The 18^th was a classic inland E'ly and 'clag' day, so typically I was at work!. I did manage a late visit and scored with Kittiwake and Black-tailed Godwit but I had already missed 2 Avocet (patch-tick) and 24 C Scoter! Waxwing was added and the 1^st Chiffchaff later in the month rounded things off.

APR

A week on Islay at the start of the month meant I was away for the 1^st patch record of Common Crane – a bitter pill indeed! The 11^th finally saw Sand Martin arrive – incredibly 5 weeks later than last year although a Grey Plover was welcome. The next 2 weeks saw migrants arriving in force and goodies included Black-necked Grebe, Greenshank, Whinchat and Grasshopper Warbler (a glaring omission in 2012!). Classic conditions on 25^th saw me ditching work and patch ticking Little Tern, a great sight over the main lake along with  Black and Arctic Tern, 2 Kittiwakes and hundreds of Hirundines! It was tricky having to leave and twitch the Spurn Rock Thrush....Next day  saw  Whimbrel and the 27^th had a site record count of c50 Black-tailed Godwits heading NW.

 Perhaps the highlight of my patch year occurred on the 30^th when I found a drake LESSER SCAUP in the evening - 1^st site record and 1^st BB rarity for a few years.

MAY

Main highlight was another patch tick in the form of a stunning 'ringtail' Hen Harrier that drifted SE on the 8^th. A rather quiet month otherwise with the only other notable (sadly...) addition being Cuckoo. 

JUNE

The month started well with a Spotted Fly on the 1^st, 4 Little Gulls on the 8^th and Common Scoter on the 9^th. Other additions included Hobby and  Crossbill but a thrown away distant Goshawk on the 30^th saw the month out in a bad mood!

JULY

As usual a generally quiet month with a Little Egret the only new bird for the year. A Bittern was unusual and the normal dearth of passage waders continued whilst other local sites heaved with scarce mud-lovers..... 

AUG

A Barn Owl early in the month was an overdue addition but the bird of the month was a confiding Purple Sandpiper on the wetlands on the 25th, only the 2^nd patch record and the last was in 1980! The same day also produced Tree Pipit and Greenshank, a real red letter day!! 

SEPT

Always a potentially good month this year was no disappointment. Marsh Harrier, Med Gull, Pintail, Red-crested Pochard and Ruddy Duck were all added during the month and there were good days of viz-migging and movements of Pink-footed Geese.

OCT

A Rock Pipit on the 4^th was the highlight for me as I spent most of the month on a rather poor trip to the Scilly Isles. To compound the gloom I missed a massive local movement of Gannets with birds recorded everywhere including Pugneys!!

NOV

9 Crossbill on the 2^nd was a record count but the undoubted highlight was a Siberian Chiffchaff first seen on the 11^th and intermittently until the 24^th at least – another 1^st for the site. Mandarin finally made the year list and was joined by Ring-necked Parakeet.

DEC

A poor month weather-wise and birding was limited in the short days leading to christmas. Duck numbers were modest and the only excitement was a Red-breasted Merganser on Boxing day and the returning Smew making sporadic appearances. 

So there we go! A great year I think any inland patcher will agree..?.....and yet.....

without sounding greedy I missed Green Sand, Red Kite, Turnstone, Sanderling and Ruff – all species I would expect to see. So 150 is on and I will be trying again this year! 

My 2013 PWC review from Hemsby

Looking back at 2013 and I firmly believe this was my best year patch birding, probably due to being offshore less and PWC encouraging me to get out a lot more. Windy, rainy and generally unpleasant?? Who cares, lets get out and see what I can find! On more than one occasion I added some species on days when I might have not bothering going out on patch due to the weather. I even enjoyed birding in the terrible weather, there are less dog walkers about for a start! So in the end I managed to creep up to 163 species/ 246 points (and a humpback whale some of you may have heard about). That should keep me busy for 2014 as I try to reach these heights again, as well as trying to find my first patch 12+ pointer!

As with Mark's and Rob's post I thought I would follow the trend of breaking down my year month by month:

January
January was a relatively quiet month with 69 species recorded. A flock of 19 Whooper Swans was probably the highlight for me, a patch tick. Other good patch birds were on offer, mainly from seawatching with Little Auk, Velvet Scoter and GN Diver the best of a decent bunch.

February
As expected the year slowed down a bit in February with only 11 new birds added. There was some tricky patch birds recorded though with Bar-tailed Godwit (patch tick), Goldeneye, Peregrine and Coal Tit welcome additions this early in the year.

March
Away for all but 1 day of the month but still manage to add Pintail.

April
What a month, a combination of no March birding and start of spring migration bagged me 41 new species, starting with a couple of patch ticks, Egyptian Goose and Short-eared Owl. Spring started on the 7th at Hemsby when a Tree Pipit landed in my garden briefly and over the next couple of weeks I added the commoner migrants including the first (reported) Spotted Flycatchers into the UK on the 18th. A couple of roosting Long-eared Owls were a particular highlight but bird of the month for me was a stunning male Pied Flycatcher that hung around for a day. Another highlight of the year which will live long in the memory happened on the evening of the 14th as I sat in my back garden and watch over 5000+ Blackbirds and at least 1500 Redwings fly high north over a two hour period many taking off out of my patch and joining the masses.

May
Away again for most of the month but still managed to see my first Cuckoo, Greenshank and Swift of the year, in fact one of the BTO tagged cuckoos was soon to be tracked using my patch quite often!

June
Just when I thought spring was over a female Red-backed Shrike appeared at the north end of my patch. My first 6 pointer of the year! Manxie and GS Woodpecker were the only other additions in June.

July
A very quiet month with no real surprises, a couple waders (Knot & Common Sandpiper) and Arctic SKua added. Mothing took off this month though, as I caught 4000 moths in 9 traps throughout the month!

August
The bank holiday weekend from the 23rd to the 26th was a pretty special time on the patch. The weather conditions were perfect and the patch was dripping with migs. It all started on the Friday evening when I found an Icterine Warbler and then the following days I foundd Wood Warbler, 2 Wrynecks as well as finding a Wryneck and Red-backed Shrike on my work patch in Great Yarmouth. The amount of migrants around during those few days was amazing with multiple records of Tree Pipit, Spotted and Pied Flycatchers, Whinchats and Redstarts etc. A great end to a month that added 9 species and 22 points!

September
Not as productive as I would have liked but then I did spend the peak period at the end of the month on Shetland, bad patch planning! Seawatching in absolutely horrendous conditions paid off with a Black Tern and Long-tailed Skua as well as hundreds of waders while in more serene conditions I managed to find my first patch Grasshopper Warbler.

October
My favourite month of the year and it didn't disappoint. Everything favoured me again as the second big fall of the autumn (after the late August one) fell on a weekend again. I added four 6 pointers from the 11th - 13th, starting with a Leach's Petrel on the Friday followed up by at least 3 Yellow-browed and a Pallas's Warbler the following day. Firecrest and Snow Bunting were also added on these days and the Sunday began with a Richards Pipit making a brief appearance before the rain. A Jack Snipe on a road side verge was a great way to end the weekend. By the end of the month I had added 15 species (51 points) including a few more patch ticks, Shore Lark, Treecreeper and the long awaited Green Woodpecker! The month took a rather bizarre twist on the 29th when I noticed a 'blow' from my sofa before work one day. I was soon watching Norfolks first Humpback Whale!

November
My last two additions were seen early on the month, a Merlin and Purple Sandpiper. It was a difficult month as conditions were never great for seawatching (at least when I was at home anyway) and I always thought that was my best chance of any good birds.

December
Much like November without the new birds. The highlight was a flock of 100+ Snow Bunting that ventured down from my neighbouring patch at Winterton for a day.

2014 - this is what I have to beat, it will be tough but I'm sure I'll have a grand time trying......

Meopta and Forest Optic Best Find Shortlist

Here’s our shortlist for the Meopta and Forest Optic best find competition. Great birds one and all and congratulations to all of the finders – whether your find wins anything or not, your bird will probably go down as a defining patch birding memory for you. It’s the sort of stuff that patching is all about...

• ·         Gyr - South Uist
• ·         Feas petrel  x3 - Cork
• ·         Bridled Tern - Isle of May
• ·         Blyth's reed warbler, Cheshire
• ·         Western Bonelli’s Warbler – Orkney
• ·         Semipalmated Plover - Hampshire
• ·         Mourning Dove - Rhum
• ·         Red-flanked Bluetail - Norfolk
• ·         Pied wheatear  - Notts

Keep in mind that in drawing up the shortlist we’ve already considered birds like Siberian stonechat and citrine wagtail. Our selections are largely based on rarity, but in the case of the Gyr for example, the glamour aspect has influenced us too. It is, after all, the ‘best’ find and not necessarily the rarest.

To vote for your winner of the Meopta and Forest Optic best find, please see the poll on the right hand side of the blog. Good luck if one of your finds has made it into our shortlist! If it hasn't, then we wish you the very best of luck in finding something that makes it onto the shortlist for 2014!

Happy voting folks - the deadline for voting is the 8th January!

Rob Fray's 2013 Review - Virkie/Toab/Exnaboe

January

Winter in Shetland can be pretty bleak. There’s not usually much to see, particularly as it doesn’t get light between November and February (OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but a prolonged period of over-exuberance and over-sleeping can mean days, if not weeks, can pass by without seeing daylight). January 2013 brought 48 species, including a flock of four White-fronted Geese around Toab, not an annual visitor to the patch. Highlight, though, was the continuing presence of a wintering Blue Tit on my nuts – a proper rare bird in these parts, and still the only one I’ve seen in the patch. Should be worth much more than one measly point in my opinion.

Blue Tit

February

What can be said about February? Not a lot. Five species added, including Common Scoter and the first Skylark of the year.

March

For much of the country, mid to late March spells the beginning of spring, with pretty things like Sand Martins, Wheatears and Little Ringed Plovers brightening the days up. Not here though. Just seven species added, although that did include major bonuses in the form of a Mistle Thrush in Toab and a Goldfinch in my garden, neither of which are annual. As it happened, Goldfinch proved to be ‘common’ in the patch this spring, with another eight or so by the end of May.

Goldfinch

April

The list shot up from 60 to 88 during April, as spring finally lumbered into view. Most of the species added were to be expected, although Sandwich Tern, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull and Rook (!) were notable. The big bird of the month (and possibly the year), however, was a Coal Tit at Hestingott – only the sixth record (seventh individual) for mainland Shetland, although sadly not a patch tick as one of the last records before the Hestingott bird was one I found in Toab a few years ago.

Coal Tit - Courtesy of Jim Nicolson

May

I always look forward to May. May can be brilliant in Shetland. But May can also be terribly frustrating if the weather isn’t favourable. May 2013, fortunately, was a stormer, with several periods of ‘good’ weather. The first three weeks brought a nice selection of commoner migrants, including Short-eared Owl, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Grasshopper Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Wood Sandpiper and, best of all, a Grey-headed Wagtail at Exnaboe (my first ‘six-pointer of the year). A pair of Shoveler on May 22nd (only my second ever patch record) heralded the beginning of a slightly crazy week. A Buff-breasted Sandpiper along the coastal path near Exnaboe on the 24th was both a patch tick and a self-found tick, with a Common Rosefinch four days later, also at Exnaboe, bagging me another six points. The month ended with a flourish on the 30th, with a bonkers hour or so in my garden: whilst running around trying to relocate a male Red-backed Shrike which literally fell out of the sky in front of my eyes, I flushed a Thrush Nightingale, which remained faithful to the garden for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, the aforementioned shrike reappeared and started singing! A fabulous end to a great month had seen the list shoot up to 115 and my points total go through the roof to 177.

Common Rosefinch

June

Just the one addition this month, a singing Marsh Warbler in a neighbour’s garden. A singing Common Rosefinch took up temporary residence in the Virkie Willows on the 8th, whilst intriguingly a female Red-backed Shrike found the same willows to its liking for four days late in the month.

July

Usually a quiet month, July 2013 proved to be anything but. Common Crossbill, Swift and Ruff are three species I tend to add in July, but a group of four Red-necked Phalaropes on the Pool of Virkie for a few minutes on the 16th was highly unexpected. I was working on Unst at the end of the month, which coincided with the worst dip of the year – a Roseate Tern outside my house for one evening. However, I did catch up with a wandering Gull-billed Tern at Virkie that had originally been found at Scatness, along with a bonus drake Scaup.

Red-necked Phalaropes - Courtesy of Roger Riddington

August

A slow start, but an excellent finish, added nine new species. Along with many other patches on the east coast, late August brought a decent fall, with useful additions including Icterine Warbler, Barred Warbler and Wood Warbler (all on the 25th), Marsh Harrier on the 28th, and a self-found Citrine Wagtail that spent the best part of a week around the Virkie Willows from the 29th. Another couple of rosefinches appeared during this period too.

Citrine Wagtail

September

September in Shetland. Anything can happen. With the influx of visiting birders, it’s all very traumatic – will somebody roll up to the Pool of Virkie whilst I’m at work and clap eyes on a Willet? Fortunately for me, that didn’t happen, and I was lucky enough to find the best wader of the autumn at Virkie this year – a fine Lesser Yellowlegs on the 16th. Other waders around at this time included Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper, although probably the major event of the autumn from a local point of view was the huge avalanche of Black-tailed Godwits. My peak count was 208 – the largest flock recorded in Shetland before this was 47!

Lesser Yellowlegs

Obviously, Shetland in September is not really about waders, it’s passerines, and the period from 21st to 24th was especially productive. I’d had my eye on a tattie crop at Exnaboe all autumn, but until now it had produced nothing. Then over the space of two days, it held a Short-toed Lark, a Bluethroat and a Richard’s Pipit. Three year ticks, 18 points, one field. Get in. Other notable migrants during the month included a Wryneck in my garden, another six Common Rosefinches and the inevitable deluge of Yellow-browed Warblers (conservative estimate of 19 over the last week of September). The best passerine, however, was a Western Bonelli’s Warbler (I can be forgiven not finding this, as it was in the BB Editor’s garden!).

But September died a bit of a limp death, and from 24th onwards there was not a patch year tick to be had. I finished the month on 144 species, seven short of my record of 151 set in 2010. A decent October should see me there or thereabouts...

October

October began as September finished. It was hard work. There were a few Yellow-browed Warblers still hanging on, but nothing else. Things changed on the 8th, with another Richard’s Pipit (which kindly added itself to my house list), followed by a Turtle Dove in Toab on the 9th. The 10th was a nasty day, with a northerly gale blowing, so I foolishly gave myself a day off. Bad mistake. A Pechora Pipit was found 100 yards from my house! I did manage to see it the following day, as well as relocating a White-rumped Sandpiper at Virkie that had initially been flushed from a beach at Scatness. A nice run of new birds over the next few days included a Great Spotted Woodpecker in Toab (a long overdue patch tick), three Hawfinches at Exnaboe and a Lesser Redpoll, again at Toab. A Woodcock on the 21st equalled my record of 151. What would be the record-breaker (if indeed there was to be a record-breaker)? Rather pleasingly, the magic field at Exnaboe produced the goods on the 26th, with a patch-tick Shore Lark – a fitting way to set a new record. A Waxwing in Toab a few days later was the final addition to the year list.

Pechora Pipit - Courtesy of Roger Riddington

November and December

The autumn finished in late October. Nothing to report over the last two months of the year. No additions to the list, although I did have a nice holiday in Arizona.

So, I ended the year on 153 species, and 298 points. The points per species ratio finished at 1.947. If only I’d found that bloody Pechora Pipit, I’d have had 306 points and a nice round 2.0 points per species.

I rather suspect it will be challenging to beat 153 species in future, as 2013 was an excellent year in my patch. Six ‘BB’ rarities, plus four local rarities and a host of scarce migrants will be difficult to better, not to mention a grand total of eight patch ticks. That said, there were at least five species seen in my patch in 2013 that I missed (Roseate Tern, Reed Warbler, Slavonian Grebe, Hen Harrier and Cuckoo), along with another five fairly glaring omissions that I see most years (Long-eared Owl, Reed Bunting, Greenfinch, Brent Goose and Barnacle Goose). I was lucky this year to find a lot of the good birds – this isn’t always the case in a patch like mine, where there are several top-drawer rarity finders living close by (including two of the most prolific rarity finders in Britain!) and an influx of other birders during the best weeks of the autumn. Roll on 2014...

Rob Fray