Inland Scotland Minileague - April 2016

In typical fashion, Chris Pendlebury once again resides at the top of the Inland Scotland Comparative league. He's moved his Blairdrummond patch into 1st place, thereby knocking his Dunblane patch into second position. Finishing the month with a strong 91.765% for Blairdrummond, surely that 100% milestone can only be just around the corner. Great work Chris!

Further down the table, Andy Cage at Kilmany manages to knock Graeme Garner and his Cambus patch from third place. Andy managed a further 11 species and finished on 77% for April.

Moving on to the points league, no change at the top of the table with David Douglas and his Loch Leven patch still holding off the competitors despite not adding any further species for the month. In second place, Alastair Forsyth remains as he plays catch up adding another ten species and finishing on 95 points. With only three points separating the top two, David may not be holding onto 1st place in May!

No bonus points this month but raptor highlights for April included Goshawk for Gus at SRUC Aberdeen Campus and Andy Cage at Kilmany, Iceland Gull for Graeme Garner at  Cambus, Merlin for Geoff Morgan at Liberton West (4th record for ten years!), Marsh Harrier at Kinneil and Osprey at Blairdrummond for Chris Pendlebury. In addition, a number of folk reported their first records of hirundines and warblers for the year.

Inland East Anglia - December 2015

No change for the top three with Ben Moyes remaining seated in first position with 120 species and 136 points giving him a whopping 130.769% and a 15% lead over second place. Fantastic effort, Ben!  Sadly, for Alison Allen at Thorpe-next-Haddiscoe, the 100% was just out of reach. However, with only 3% off the target, it was still a grand effort and with a new year and birds ahead, it's all to play for again!

While the top three all added species and points this month, the final standing is still unchanged as Jamie Wells who despite finding a Great White Egret didn't the manage the extra points needed to claim first place.  Bagging a further sixteen points and leading the table by a respectable eleven points, Ben Lewis and his Mid Yare RSPB patch finished the year firmly in the lead with Snow Goose and Siberian Chiffchaff the best bits of December. Making a final mad dash up the leader board was Tabby P at North Potter Heigham who rocketed up to fifth with an impressive 20 point increase for December.

Coastal East Anglia - December 2015

No further additions for Craig Fulcher in December but his 130% score was more than enough to seal the Coastal East Anglia comparative minileague. Ryan Irvine finished second after his purple patch in the autumn with 117%. His year was topped off with a Red-necked Grebe in December. Tommy Corcoran sealed third place from James Brown, finishing on 107% with Shag his only December addition.

On the points front there was only one winner as Nige Lound's exceptional year at Gibraltar Point finished with 339 points. As Nige failed to add any new birds in December the gap fell by two but the remaining 45 point cushion made it comfortable enough! Ryan finished 43 points ahead of his previous comparative score to end up in second spot. His December grebe was enough to outstrip James Brown as they finished November neck and neck. James unfortunately didn't find any new birds so finishes third on the podium. Gary White managed to secure 8th place and overtake Scott Mayson in December with wintering Bearded Tits at North Walsham and Trimingham.

Wales Minileague - December 2015

It was a 'photo finish' at the top of the leader board for the Wales Comparative Minileague. However, both Alison C and Alun John managed to added an extra species each to their tally for December, allowing Alison to hold onto the coveted pole position by the skin of her teeth. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute, Julian Hughes finally broke the 100% barrier at RSPB Conwy, finishing on a respectable 101.449% before the year was out.

David Carrington dug in and remained firmly planted at the top of the points league finishing on 155 species and 199 points. Lower down the leader board, with no new species to add to his Newport Wetlands patch, Mathew Meehan fell short and conceded his second place to Barry Stewart at Burry Inlet who managed a last minute flurry and bagged six new species. Nice work, Barry!

With some fantastic birds being produced over the course of 2015, Wales should be an exciting one to watch in 2016.

Estuarine Minileague - December 2015

Ed Keeble at Brantham adds Eider to secure the Estuarine minileague comparative table on 107%. No additions for Shaun Robson at Lytchett Bay or Gordon Hodgson at Frampton-on-Severn but they hold on to second and third places in the table. There were no other 100%ers with Russell and Emma upping sticks and decamping to Sanday they were stranded on their scores.

The top three places in the points minileague were all taken by the Lincs Wash Reserves with Paul Sullivan heading the triumvirate up with a mighty 305 points. Thats an addition of 8 points from November including a Grey Phalarope. 34 points back was John Badley on 271, 10 ahead of Anthony Bentley who finished in third place. Dave Craven was the highest placed no Frampton-ite as he registered 244 points, pipping Howard Vaughan at Rainham Marshes by two points. Dave finished with a Shag and a Water Pipit and rounds off his year on his blog. Howard added Little and Iceland Gull but narrowly missed out on the Glauc that would have seen him tie for 4th place.

Amercian Wigeon - Martin Elcoate

Away from the top of the table Toby Collett shared Paul Sullivan's Grey Phalarope to register his 35th (THIRTY-FIFTH) wader species at Frampton in 2015. This year Toby is keeping his seperate patches for the comparative table but is also entering them as a single entity to align with the other LWR patchers. Joost Brandsma finished off with a Firecrest in his garden in December which added a brace of points. Martin Elcoate managed to see a Short-eared Owl from his house in Topsham and also added the American Wigeon that has been gracing his patch. Peter Williams added Brambling on his Humber-based patch whilst Pete Antrobus added Water Rail and Hen Harrier at Tetney Lock in Lincolnshire.

Coastal Scotland Minileague - December 2015

Stephen Welch finished his #PWC2015 efforts at Gosford Bay with 142 species, his highest total in the past few years. This success earned him first place in the Coastal Scotland Comparative Minileague with 109.3%. Well deserved with some excellent BirdTrack-ing thrown in for good measure.

Close behind in second place is Mark Lewis at Girdle ness who added Glaucous Gull in December and finished on 102.7% with 156 species, his own highest total in recent years also. Solid patch effort (as shown by 10,000+ records and 210 complete lists submitted to BirdTrack) resulted in some great finds and getting past 200 species for his patch life list.

Glaucous Gull © Mark Lewis

Andrew Whitehouse remained on 97% and in third place while some New Year's Eve Little Auk passage bumped Chris Hill up to fourth place with 93% at Burntisland. 

Mark's final tally of 227 points at Girdle ness ensured his first place position in the points minileague while Mike Hodgkin ended his patch efforts for the year in November but managed to break past 200 points in the process and consolidate his second place position.

After a two month drought, Jonathan Clarke connected with three patch ticks on New Year's Eve (a good day to go birding it would seem!) at Whiteness Head. Tystie, Slavonian Grebe and 170 Little Auks saw him finish in sixth. 

Islands Minileague - December 2015

Despite gaining no points throughout December, the final month of the year finds Alastair Forsyth still firmly rooted in first place in the comparative minileague, claiming the crown with an impressive 117%. Congratulations! Ian T holds onto second place at Askernish with a similarly formidable score while Bryan Rains concludes the glorious triumvirate with 108% at Pennyghael, aided by a welcome two points courtesy of a stranded Little Auk that was promptly rested and released. David Wood concluded 2015 in fourth position on Islay while, in a final flourish, Paul Higson snatched fifth place from John Bowler. Further down the table things remained largely the same though with 2016 here at last and a clean slate for all competitors I wonder how the table will look come the end of January.

John Bowler claimed the top spot in the points minileague this month with a truly mighty 343 points at Balephuil on the Isle of Tiree. A well deserved victory if ever there was one. Steve Standsfield retained second place at Barsdey while Jason Moss also made to the podium following an impressive run on Skomer. Despite many patchers struggling to unearth any new species throughout December there were still a number of highlights throughout this extremely hit or miss league. Among these Logan Johnson's Mourning Dove stands head and heels above the rest. Looking past this however a White-Tailed Eagle for Yvonne at Askernish was equally welcome while elsewhere in the league John Headon notched both Merlin and Sparrowhawk and Logan added two good Shetland birds in the form of Goldfinch and Water Rail.

- James C (Patchwork Challenge)

Inland Scotland Minileagues - December 2015

The rankings on the Inland Scotland Comparative Minileague table remained the same through December as they were at the end of November and with that, Chris Pendlebury wins the comp league with his excellent 115.7% score from Stirling (Green patch too). 

No change for Alastair Forsyth at Old Nisthouse where he claims second place with 108.7% and Andy Cage adds a last minite Red-legged Partridge at Kilmany taking him to 101% in third. The rest of the comp league contestants finish with respectable 90% and 80% scores. 

David Douglas steals first place on the Inland Scotland Points Minileague table from Alastair by a matter of four points with a fine end to the year at Loch Leven which included both Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon! David ended up with 166 points and the highest species tally in the league with 137.

Good to see almost half the contestants scoring 100 points or more in the end. And a final shout out to Alastair for his excellent contribution to BirdTrack with over 7800 records and 293 complete lists submitted.

Midlands Minileague - December 2015

Despite Tom Shields not making any additions in December and just a point for Andy Mackay at Eyebrook there was nobody breaking from the pack so Tom wins the comparative minileague for 2016 with his Holme Pierrepoint patch. A Great Northern Diver did brighten his month up whilst for Andy the solitary point he garnered was thanks to a Red-breasted Merganser. Dave Roberts closed the gap on the top two and very nearly got in the mix thanks to a December Hen Harrier to cap his best ever year on patch. There were no new additions to the 100 club but both John Hopper and Matt Griffiths fell just a point short.

Lound finishes top of the tree as the podium places were filled by the same folk as 2014 in the points league. Ian Cowgill wins the minileague with one point added in December and Andy Mackay improves on 2014 with a jump to second and John Hopper finishes third. Rhys Dandy's tactical patch switch sees him climb to fourth although he has a 26 point gap to bridge to challenge the top three in the coming year.



The bird of the month in the Midlands was a Greenland White-fronted Goose for the Marston three. Trevor Lee also added Jack Snipe in the same place. At Clayhanger and Ryder's Mere there were a trio of Caspian Gulls and a Scaup for Kevin Clements. There was another Scaup for Sam Pitt-Miller at Priory Water. Espen Quito-Ashman patch ticked Treecreeper in deepest, darkest Wiltshire. A dead Short-eared Owl sadly didnt make it on to Espen's list. Matthew Dick at Darley Dale added Mealy Redpoll amongst a group of its commoner cousins. Benjamin Ward shared Marston's ringtail Hen Harrier as it sallied over to his Aubourn patch and he also got a big fat zero points for a rather smart Nordic Jackdaw. There was a Short-eared Owl for Mark Gash at Willington GPs. Andy Sims added Raven at Boultham Mere when a quartet overflew the site which was only the third patch record for him. Finally Nick Crouch added Jack Snipe at Collingham and Besthorpe.

Inland North Minileague - December 2015

There was a fag paper between Nick Morgan who won the Inland North comparative minileague and Steven Ward who was leading heading into the final month. In the end Nick triumphed by 0.36% thanks to a patch tick Shoveler, second record of Gadwall and first winter record of Greenshank on his patch just outside Northallerton. Over at Hawes Steven managed to keep to the wildfowl theme with a less than annual Tufted Duck which kept him well clear of Nick Tonge in third who finished on 111% just clear of local rival Keith Dickinson.There were two new 100%ers this month with Paul Massey finishing on exactly that mark whilst Chris Bradshaw leapt into seventh with 101.8%. Tom Lowe came agonizingly close until an admin error was spotted and his target was increased by a couple of points.

Darren Starkey took the win in the Inland North points minileague, pipping Garry Taylor by 7 points. Darren, who patches Fairburn, added Short-eared Owl, Red-crested Pochard and Brambling over the last two months to break the 200 barrier whilst Garry's highlight is listed as believing at one stage he might catch Darren. Its the hope that kills you! Congratulations to Darren and commiserations to Garry. Andy Bunting finished in third place with a whopping 183 points - a serious score for an inland patch, especially one in Lancashire. The contest within a contest saw the white rose triumph as Mark Reeder defeated vocal rival and self-proclaimed #inlandnorthpolice Bill Aspin to finish fifth whilst Chris Bradshaw managed to split them and finished sixth.

A new installation at Orgreave. Bill did ask why it had five steps. Now we know.

There were no bonus points in Inland North for December but plenty of decent birds thanks to a seriously mild month. Aside from those birds already mentioned there were a brace of Bewick's Swans for Paul Massey at Grindon Lough which sealed his place in the top 10. A Great Northern Diver at Pugney's was a cracking inland find for Hilary Milburn. Adam Moan at RSPB Geltsdale added Tree Sparrow from the garden whilst Chris Bradshaw had Mealy Redpoll in December and Red Kite in November at Wykeham Lake and Potter Brompton Carr. Thanks to all who took part - Inland North is always an entertaining league with plenty of friendly competition.  

Coastal North Minileague - December 2015

Seumus Eaves didn't update in November and his combined two months to finish the year put him top of the comparative pile in the Coastal North minileague for 2015. He finishes on 113% with a 2% lead over Stewart Sexton who failed to add in December and finished in second place. Just a single point for Ash Baines means he holds on to third as James Spencer failed to add anything. Chris Bradshaw at Long Nab to Scalby Mills was the final member of the 100% club this year as he added 8 points in December.

Tom Cadwallender's Alnmouth patch with Coquet Island in the background.

Mick Turton's monster score sees him home in top spot in the points minileague with 381 points. No new additions in December but a winning margin of 76 points for Mick is most impressive. Also with no new additions are Nick Addey in second and Martin Garner who finishes third. Both birders managed the triple century which is a superb effort. Iain Robson managed to climb from 11th to 7th over the final month thanks largely to the Long-billed Dowitcher which visited Druridge Pools on the final day of the year after spending most of the month at Cresswell Pond, a mile down the coast. Jonathan Farooqi also added the Dowitcher on his patch which is a ribbon through Druridge Bay.There were also Water Pipits at both Druridge Pools and Whitburn and also at the latter were John Chapman's first South Tyneside Twite.

Ireland Minileague - December 2015

Those who were already over 100% in the Ireland Comparative Minileague at the end of November took a run at claiming first place during December yet it was a lean final month with not a whole lot on offer for those going for gold.

No new additions for Eamonn O'Donnell at Ninch/Laytown (a repeat Long-tailed Duck the best) or Alan Lauder at Broad Lough to Wicklow Head but Niall Keogh added a female Brambling at Kilbogget Park while Mark Shorten swooped in with a high ranking updated score from the Old Head of Kinsale, knocking some top five regulars down a few pegs in the process!

Eamonn's fantastic third year at Ninch/Laytown saw him lead the way for most of the past few months and with a final comparative score of 115%, he claims first place in the #PWC2015 Ireland Minileague. Well done!

Mark's update from the Old Head boasts a fine list of rare and scarce species seen through the year including Cory's Shearwater, Red-backed Shrike, Yellow-browed Warbler, multiple Hoopoe and good numbers of Whinchat. His second year of PWC efforts left him in second on 114%, just within sight of first place. Strong incentive to take the title next year?

A nice springtime duo from the Old Head of Kinsale © Mark Shorten

Niall and Alan ended up just a percent or two behind in third (113%) and fourth (111%) place respectively while a further seven patchers got into the 90% bracket which is a feat not to be snuffed at, especially as the years go by. Darragh Sinnott did very well at Holy Cross & Carriganore where a twitch for the first Great Spotted Woodpecker in modern times for Co. Waterford at the National Biodiversity Data Centre HQ spurred on some extra effort during December which produced several year ticks with Green Sandpiper and Stock Dove topping the bill. He ended up in fifth with 95%. 

With storm after storm battering the west coast for much of the winter so far, it is no surprise that Dave Suddaby added a couple of Little Auks as his final patch year tick at Blacksod along with a Grey Phalarope taking him to 241 points and a clear lead in the Ireland Points Minileague. With rarities galore, Dave's chances of doing well on the points table will always be strong but he did extremely well to end with a comparative score of close to 94% also.

Some good birds on Niall's Kilcoole patch in December included two Greenland White-fronted Geese, 7 Snow Bunting and a Bonxie yet none were new additions. Continuously dipping Brambling there left him with the first blank month of the year in terms of ticks and so finished in second on the points table with the same score at the end of November but with the highest overall species list in the minileague of 145.

No change in the rankings for Eamonn or Tim Murphy at St. John's Point, both remaining in third and fourth respectively while Cathal Forkan bangs in a superb find at his North Galway Bay patch...breeding plumage Sabine's Gull! What a bird for the time of year and one which boosts him up to a well earned fifth place. 

Sabine's Gull © Cathal Forkan

Noel Keogh's inaugural year in the competition ended with 110 species in South Dublin Bay (Little Auk, Black Redstart and Ring-billed Gull seen during the month there) while Michael John O'Mahony ended his first year in the compettion with 58 species at Upper Rathduff with Woodcock and Merlin added in December. Be sure to check out Michael's stunning set of patch images on Flickr. Otherwise not much else to report in terms of sightings from other contestants in December bar another Iceland Gull for Neal Warnock at Larne Lough, this time a fine adult. 

Tim Murphy boasted the highest scoring inland patch at Lough Beg with 77 species and 84 points. Julian Wyllie led the way in terms of non-motorised 'Green' patching at Baltimore with a very respectable 109 species and 135 points.

Overall, Irish patch birders added 12,000 BirdTrack records and 250 complete lists to the database during 2015. Fair play all who got involved!

Iceland Gull © Neal Warnock

NGB Minileague - December 2015

The NGB minileague was a roaring success in 2015 and with more and more young birders registering patches 2016 will surely be no different. First of all I would like to thank all 2015 competitors for making this league both fun and competitive over the past twelve months, the scores, species counts and number of Birdtrack records testament to the sheer dedication of NGB members. As you may well be aware having read the Birdguides summary of 2015 (here) Joe Stockwell claimed the top spot in 2015 after narrowly missing out during the previous year. With 189 species notched and a monster points total of 299 the one year British Birds subscription heading Joe's way is extremely well deserved, as is the week long stay on Bardsey Island awarded to Josie Hewitt after claiming the coveted "NGB most valuable player" prize.

Looking first at the comparative league and Amy Robjohns reigns supreme at Titchfield Haven, rightfully claiming the top spot with an impressive 130% followed closely by Josie in second. Ash Baines claims third place following an impressive run at Starr Gate followed by James Common who likewise surpassed his score from the previous year. Jonathan Scragg also warrants a mention for exactly replicating his 2014 score. Looking quickly at the points league, Anthony Bentley and Jonathan Farooqi secured second and third positions with impressive scores at of 261 and 249 obtained respectively. 

Some impressive rarities unearthed throughout December meant things were far from dull in the league this month. There were however two examples of #patchgold that stood out above all else with Logan Johnson concluding the year in spectacular fashion with a Mourning Dove on his Shetland patch and Northumberland's wintering Long-Billed Dowitcher finally dropping in to Druridge Pools, much to the delight of Jonathan Farooqi. A breeding plumage Sabine's Gull for Cathal Forkan at Galway Bay was also most welcome and no doubt helped considerably bolster Cathal's final score. Elsewhere other highlights of the league this month included a cracking Grey Pharalope for Joe Stockwell, Siberian Chiffchaff for Amy Robjohns and not one but three Water Pipits for Jonathan Farooqi. Jonathan's good run later continued with the addition of Iceland Gull while some other tantalizing tidbits include Scaup for both Joe Stockwell and Sam Pitt Miller, Black Redstart for Dan Rouse and Josie Hewitt's first ever patch Crossbills. Similarly, Short-Eared Owl would have been a welcome patch tick at Wellington GPs had the individual found by Espen Quinto-Ashman not keeled over prior to his visit.

A great year all around for the committed patchers of NGB with fingers now firmly crossed for the coming year. Will Joe retain his crown? Who will root out the leagues next major rarity? Who will be crowned most valuable player? Only time will tell but whether you are revisiting an old haunt during 2016 or, like myself, moving on to pastures new, the Patchwork team wish you all the best in the coming months and look forward to hearing about your patch based experiences. With this minileague soon developing to take on young birders from outside NGB, 2016 looks set to be one of the most competitive and wholly enjoyable years to date.

- James C (Patchwork Challenge)

Inland South Minileague - December 2015

Tom Raven wins the Inland South Comparative Minileague by a handsome margin. A self-found Dusky Warbler in December gives him a 9% margin and a final score of 136%. Josie Hewitt had an excellent finish to her year jumping from fourth to second with 9 Crossbills from November her recent highlight. Long-term second place patcher, Tom Stevenson, fell into third in the final month thanks to a blank month but he shattered his PB at Ewelme. There were no new members of the 100% club in December but with 8 out of 13 patchers managing it there has been a fair amount of success in the south,

Tom Raven had the points minileague won long ago but the 44 point margin is outstanding and as well as his Dusky Warbler he also added Firecrest and Siberian Chiffchaff in December. Nigel Milbourne added four points to his November score to secure second spot at Blagdon Lake. Lee Evans had a similar month with 4 points added but he bemoans the Bonxie which Ian Bennell was fortunate enough to see.

Tom Raven's Dusky Warbler. What a year for Tom

Other highlights from around the patches include a Firecrest for Graham White at Rye Meads who finished in fifth position. Neil Burt managed a brace of Brambling at Conningbrook which held onto tenth place for him. On Wanstead Flats, Nick Croft had a quintuplet of Firecrests and a Caspian Gull but gained only a couple of points to stay seventh. There was a Scaup at Sutton Bingham Reservoir in Somerset for Tim Farr which meant he secured twelfth. Points all over the place but very little movement in the league table. Finally there was a Bittern at the seventh attempt for Ian Bennell at Tring Reservoirs.

Coastal South Minileagues - December 2015

Nothing new for Paul Freestone but he managed to hang on to top spot in the Coastal South comparative minileague despite a very strong finish from Amy Robjohns. Paul finished on 132% thanks to a December Jack Snipe whilst Amy added 9% to finish on 130%. Amy managed bonus points for finding a Siberian Chiffchaff and also saw the trio of Penduline Tits which arrived at Titchfield late in the month. Andy Rhodes added 3% and dropped a place into third despite an outstanding year where he scored 127%. His perserverance paid off with last gasp Shag and Kittiwake. Roger Musgrove was the seventh and final 100%er in the Coastal South minileague.

Joe Stockwell debuted a new patch for 2015 working the Weymouth reserves and Ferrybridge in Dorset. He finished the year just one point short of 300 and beat local rival Sean Foote by 19 points. Joe added Scaup and Grey Phalarope and briefly thought the phalarope took him over the triple century mark but alas its a two pointer. Sean added just a single point but it was his first patch record of Pheasant! Kev Rylands finished off a relatively poor year at Dawlish Warren with two points which gave him a five point cushion over Paul Bowerman at Severn Beach.

Amy Robjohns' trio of Penduline Tits at Tichfield Haven

On Guernsey there was a Short-eared Owl for our logo-man himself, Mark Lawlor. Worse for him was the Little Swift which was present on the 31st December just off patch and there is a rather fine photo he took of the bird with his patch in the background. So close. Ilya Maclean managed to find a Siberian Chiffchaff in his garden to ensure a good end to his debut year. Peter Hazelwood got a full fat patch tick with a Marsh Harrier at Oldbury Power Station. Despite Kev Rylands only adding Jack Snipe in December it certainly wasnt a quiet month with Slav grebe, Siberian Chiffchaff, Bonaparte's Gull and Yellow-browed Warbler also featuring scorelessly. Andy Johnson managed to beat his 2014 score but also accrued his lowest ever number of patch species so a mixed year although a late Iceland Gull provided a highlight.

PWC2015 Steven Ward - Hawes

Patchwork Challenge 2015 Review – Hawes; Steven Ward

January

Fortunately, and as per usual for the beginning of the year, the 1^st of January saw areas of floodwater adorning the floodplain around the River Ure. This helps draw in certain species which wouldn't normally be present on Patch without floods. Teal, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Redwing & Fieldfare were the modest opening day highlights. Biblical amounts of rain over the course of New Year's Day turned virtually the whole valley bottom into one giant lake for the next 24 hours.

On the 3^rd, Wigeon, Goosander, Tawny Owl & Grey Wagtail were added. My BirdTrack complete list had to be abandoned on this day however, as a mournful squealing sound on the river bank led to an Otter cub, no doubt separated from its family following the previous days' extensive flooding. Scooping the poor creature up, it ended up with the nearest RSPCA via my house and the local vet.

An unfortunate highlight perhaps.

The 4^th was a good day. Waking up to frosts and ice cover, I logged a Patch 2^nd Little Egret down by the river. The first 2 pointer of the year and a good record for the upland location. Hopefully given the freezing conditions, it had the sense to move on to warmer climes. Other goodies on the list were Pink-footed Goose, Sparrowhawk, Kingfisher, Goldcrest & Nuthatch.

Other good birds logged in the ensuing days were Dipper & Brambling on 5^th, Shoveler & Stock Dove on 6^th, and Little Grebe on 7^th. Kestrel first showed on 10^th.

What turned out to be my only Patch Peregrine of the year blasted low over the garden (tick) on 11^th, scattering the local corvids in all directions.

13^th brought a pair of Bullfinch to berries in a friend's garden. Scarce here, what must have been the same pair turned up in my garden a few days later, providing a welcome grden tick.

Buzzard & Snipe showed on 14^th, with Shelduck coming on 16^th.

The 17^th delighted with a completely unexpected “Top 3” moment. Walking the riverbank, I glanced to the left to see a gamebird flying quite high over Hawes town. Amazing! The distinctive flight of a female Black Grouse. Heavy snowfall had occurred the previous night, and this lone greyhen was probably forced off the nearby fells to forage elsewhere. Despite birds being present in the nearby hills, this was probably the most unexpected Patch tick of the year. Buzzing! Full-fat Patch tick.

Raven (3 over East) on 19^th was welcome, though they were scarce on Patch this year, with just 5 records. Previous years have seen flocks of up to 15 birds, and are sometimes seen on multiple consecutive days.

Golden Plover & Treecreeper on 24^th rounded off an excellent month.

Score: 66/69

February

February's first good bird was Siskin, pretty much bread 'n' butter here, but nice all the same, on 3^rd.

The first returning Curlew of the year dropped in on 17^th, always nice to have these iconic birds back in the dales.

The 25^th brought in a Patch MEGA, a full-fat Patch tick of a single Yellowhammer, well outside its normal winter range here in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. I saw presumably the same bird a couple of days later.

#Patchsilver of Dunlin found their way onto the list on 28^th thanks to still present floodwater.

Score: 72/75

March

A slow month, with returning breeding Redshank on 8^th, and Whooper Swan (5 over W) the only birds of any real note, though a week in Dumfries & Galloway may have seen me miss something good?!

Score: 76/80

April

13 bird species added in this promising month, mainly due to incoming summer migrants.

A drake Mandarin was the April Fool on the 1^st, an expected 2 point species now, with birds breeding. Agonisingly, I missed a poss./prob? Goshawk on the day as well. Sadly, I just didn't (don't!) have the necessary experience to nail this bird (rare in Yorkshire Dales) on such a brief, fleeting view in poor light. A Patch tick gone a' begging? Maybe the date was trying to tell me something!

Breeding Lesser Redpoll belatedly showed up on 7^th, with #Patchsilver Coot a surprise on 8^th.

Other notable summer migrant breeders were Common Sandpiper (earliest ever) & Redstart (both on 13^th), and Sedge Warbler on 23^rd.

Notable passage migrants this month were Jay on 13^th (rare 'tick' spring bird, with the species normally only showing in autumn) and Wheatear finally touching down on 22^nd (birds normally appear in late March). Best of all was a full-fat Patch tick male Ring Ouzel feeding with Blackbirds on meadowland. The commoner thrushes soon tired of their different-looking relative, and succeeded in driving him off into tree cover. Like the Black Grouse, this species is present in the surrounding hills, but unlike the grouse, I'm surprised the Ring Ouzel has taken so long to make the Patch list.

Score: 90/96

May

The 9^th heralded a Red Kite mobbed by a Curlew on the edge of town, just about annual these days.

Spotted Flycatcher was an earliest ever arrival on 13^th, whilst a Grasshopper Warbler (heard only) stayed for just a day on 14^th. A great 2 pointer for me, and the 1st record for 4 years on Patch.

Score:  94/102

June

A long wait followed for the next new bird, a roosting Long-eared Owl right next to the footpath, in the exact same location as the only 2 previous records. This proved to be the only new species of the month, but again, may have missed some with a week off Patch on the Yorkshire coast & The Lakes.

Score: 95/104

July

A brilliant month! I saw 4 owls, including another Long-eared, this time perched out in the open in the pouring rain.

The 2^nd and 10^th added Little Owl & Barn Owl respectively. The former was missed last year, though I've hopefully found a reliable location now. The latter species is beginning to make its presence known again in the dales, and is now expected on the year list, with local folk reporting ever more sightings, of this once almost unknown local bird.

A juvenile Stonechat was a 2nd ever record.

Best of all was saved for the last day of the month, when a cream-crown Marsh Harrier quartered the pastures on the North side of the Ure, looking a little out of place amongst Swaledale sheep, drystone walls, and steep fells. Decent viewing confirmed it as a juvenile, which struck as an extremely early record for a fledged young bird wandering well away from any nesting areas.

Score: 99/109

August

Here at Hawes, August always comes up trumps in terms of the highest number of species recorded (April a close 2^nd). This month followed suit, with the Marsh Harrier being seen a week later.

Passage migrants such as Tree Pipit, Whitethroat, Whinchat & a single Green Sandpiper (#Patchgold) dropped by on the 16^th, 17^th, 23^rd & 28^th. Sadly, the lone Whinchat was the sole Patch record. In previous years, up to 4 birds are seen almost daily throughout this month.

“Top 3” moment number 2 occurred on 31^st. As dusk approached, I popped out the front door to lock up, and my gaze was drawn to a near neighbours TV aerial, where a small raptor perched. Expecting a local Sparrowhawk, I grabbed the bins, and was astonished to be greeted with the sight of a juvenile Merlin (2^nd ever on Patch). Amazing! Perched up so brazenly in the middle of our small market town! I crept inside for the bridge camera, only for the bird to take-off as I reappeared, blasting over my own house. Damn, what a record shot that could have been! Still, great garden tick.

Score: 104/115

September/October

As the final 4 months of play kicked-off, my mid-season slump kicked-in, with NO new species added in what can always be 2 slow months in inland, upland Yorkshire Dales.

Score: 104/115

November

November stormed (literally, weather-wise) back with a bang. Goldeneye (far from guaranteed annually) and Gadwall (#Patchgold, only 2^nd ever) were brought in by the massive flooding.

Number 3 “Top 3” came by on 23^rd with a stonking ring-tail Hen Harrier flushing Snipe here and there out of the flooded pastures. A 3^rd record of this magnificent raptor which many birders rightfully love, and definitely one of my faves.

A rare Patch Great Black-backed Gull fly-through kept the ball rolling nicely.

Score: 108/120

December

In what is often the slowest Patch month, mainly due to sheer lack of birding time, Pintail & Tufted Duck came to the rescue, 2 decent Patch birds, particularly the latter, which failed to make an appearance last year. The Hen Harrier showed again on 2^nd, though this time with only a fleeting view.

Score: 110/122

That wrapped things up then. A brilliant year of Local Patch birding, with only 4 species missed from last year's comparatively paltry 99 species & 103 points (Water Rail, Yellow-legged Gull, Garden Warbler & Woodcock), despite broadly similar levels of effort.

Thanks all! Looking forward to this year!

BirdTrack: 346 complete lists, 14257 records

PWC2015 Jonathan Farooqi - Hadston Carrs to Druridge Pools

As a 15 year-old working a patch isn’t always easy. For most of the year I’m limited to birding only at the weekend which of course means I often miss birds on my local patch at Druridge Bay. I decided to do Patchwork Challenge in 2015 to try and get even more pleasure out of seeing the common birds, and as a way of getting a bit more motivation to get out birding.

My patch covers part of the Northumberland coast south from Hadston Carrs to Hemscott Hill including the nature reserves of East Chevington and Druridge Pools. In the end I had a pretty good year in the bay despite there not being many ‘proper’ rarities…

The year got off to a surprisingly good start with self-found Green-winged Teal and Black-necked Grebe on my first day on patch. The Grebe lingered into March and was later joined by an adult Black-throated Diver and a Long-tailed Duck, all on the same pool! The next highlight was an early February passage of Little Auks when I managed a count of 87 in two hours. 73 Whooper Swans on one pool at East Chevington were also great to see.

The weekend of the 12^th of April saw the arrival of quite a few summer visitors along with a Great White Egret. Early May provided me with a welcome and long-awaited patch tick in the form of a Black Redstart at Hadston Carrs and was followed by an influx of waders including good numbers of Wood Sandpipers, Ruff and Black-tailed Godwits. An adult Little Stint also made an appearance along with the first of three Garganey and a flock of four superb Temminck’s Stints.

Two Spoonbills were a welcome addition to the year list at and a Cuckoo provided some brilliant views. Having missed them in Northumberland on numerous occasions, I was extremely pleased when a Hobby flew low over East Chevington. My highlight of the year came on the 10^th of September when the first-summer male Red-footed Falcon found the previous day at Hemscott Hill reappeared and stayed just long enough for me to see it.

The first of three Yellow-browed Warblers arrived later in the month. Another highlight was finally managing a good view of a Bearded Tit on patch when a male gave itself up at East Chevington. Taking part in #patchday I saw a total of 84 species including two year ticks in the form of Bittern and Great Northern Diver.

Two adult Greenland White-fronted Geese joined the Pink-feet in early December. The same day also produced three unseasonal Little Gulls and a couple of Short-eared Owls. My first patch Merlin for three years put in a brief appearance, and three days later I saw my first ever Water Pipit on the patch along with two further patch year ticks on the same day; Kingfisher and Slavonian Grebe. Finally the Long-billed Dowitcher which had been present just of my patch appeared briefly at Druridge Pools, providing me with my first ‘4-pointer’. There were also 3 Water Pipits the same day! 

In the end I accumulated a total of 179 species for a total of 249 points. Am I glad I did Patchwork Challenge this year? Absolutely, I feel like I’ve got a lot more out of my patch than I would normally, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. A target for my second year will be to improve on my measly score of 6 bonus points! Bring on 2016…

Jonathan Farooqi

http://jonnysbirdingblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Midlands Minileague - November 2015

Tom Shields manages to defend top spot despite heavy pressure from Andy Mackay and Dave Roberts who are pushing all the way to the line. At Holme Pierrepoint the chief bit of quality was a trio of Whooper Swans which take Tom to 112%. Andy Mackay is 1% further back thanks to Slav Grebe, Brambling and a patch tick Mealy Redpoll. Dave added 3% including a patch tick Goldeneye and three Greenland White-fronted Geese. If one of these three can get a December bonus pointer it could be game set and match.

Black Redstart - Richard Harbird

In the points minileague and Ian Cowgill's lead is cut to just 6 points after a blank November at Lound while Andy Mackay makes gains and reinforces his place in second. John Hopper at Hoveringham adds four points to keep him in touch at the top. This months additions for John were Tree Sparrow and Brambling.

There were no bonus points this month in the Midlands but there were plenty of patch ticks and aside from those already mentioned there was a Cetti's Warbler for Marc Landsdowne, a Black Redstart for Richard Harbird and a Great Northern Diver for Nick Crouch. Espen Quinto-Ashman managed to get to his patch for the first time in 4 months thanks to stints on North Ronaldsay and in Equador and managed to turn up a Brambling. Finally, Matthew Dick at Darley Dale connected with the Great Grey Shrike which is currently spending its sixth winter on site.