Pounds for Cuckoos

Thanks to your good selves, and of course the kind sponsorship of Meopta and Forest Optic, who donated £1 for every species of bird recorded on PWC 2013, we were able to make a donation of £315 to the BTOs Out of Africa appeal. This great work has allowed us to follow our cuckoos on their annual journeys into the heart of Africa - and considering the amount of time they spend here, has raised the question of whether we can call them 'our' cuckoos at all! The results of this fascinating project can be seen here.

This year, we're doing something slightly different, although the cuckoo work is ongoing, and BTO have tagged a further 16 birds, who can be followed here, and perhaps more importantly, sponsored here. 

This year we've decided that our donation will go to the BTOs House martin appeal, which will hopefully shed some light on the long term decline in this species that might have seen numbers decline by as much as two thirds. Again, the donation will be based on a £££/species rate, and the donation this time will come from Bresser and Forest optic. We'd like to thank them again for their generous offer for 2014!

So, get out there and find something new for the PWC year list - which can be found here on BUBO. Then, not only can you bask in the glory of your good find, you can enjoy the warm glow that comes from knowing you've added a little extra to the pot. 

And if you are not fortunate enough to be able to get out in the field right now, you can enjoy this picture of Ryan handing the cheque over, to Bonita Johnston from BTO ably assisted by Charlotte Lancashire of Forest Optics.

Alas poor Patch...

...we knew him well. It appears Patch's journey has come to an end. A few days ago we had a tweet from our friends at the BTO letting us know that Patch hadn't moved from a position in Spain since late April and that the fixes they were getting were poor quality consistant with a bird dead on the ground, especially as the temperature the tag was reading was fluctuating rather than constant. Patch's journey has been thrilling to follow for us here at PWC towers and hopefully for you guys who helped raise the £316 through your patch endeavours which is being donated by Meopta and Forest Optics. It is a shame that he came so far and just failed to get back to the UK but this highlights the issues Cuckoos face along their migration and the toll it takes on not just individuals but also potentially the population.

This year we are supporting the BTO in the same way - by raising money through a combined PWC2014 list. Again each species is worth £1 and this year it is being donated by our friends at Bresser and Forest Optics. We are raising money to support the Tracking House Martins project as so little is known about this species ecology when it travels beyond the Western Palearctic. How do you help? You can enter species in to our Bubo accounts which you have seen on patch this year whilst in the competition. Full details of how to do that are in THIS blogpost. So help us push those scientific boundaries on Patch's behalf after his thrilling journey to the 'Heart of Darkness' and almost back.

Patch - BTO Cuckoo Update

We haven't had an update on here about Patch for a while as he has been spending his winter in DR Congo. Since we last updated in late October Patch wintered near the shores of Lake Mai until the 26th December. This was where we left patch last time out in an area of closed canopy rainforest within one of the largest designated sites in the world. By late December the sap must have been starting to rise as he moved 75km to the NW after two months in the same area.

Patch moved quickly from DR Congo to Congo in January with a movement of 304km on the 14th which was then reinforced with a further movement into Gabon on the 18th. In February Patch moved back through Congo and into Cameroon, making his first serious excursion north of his wintering area arriving to the east of the Boumba Bek National Park on the 24th February. He was still close to this location on the 6th March but some serious movement must be coming soon as the other Cuckoos start to head north.

We continue to support the BTO with their House Martin Project and remind you that we will be making a donation, kindly provided by Bresser & Forest Optic for 2014 equivalent in pounds to the combined number of species seen by contestants. At present we are at 189 species but this seems to have ground to a halt so a gentle nudge for people to log onto Bubo as Patchwork Challenge, password Patching (capital P as I just found out...) and enter species to the year list (and also the life list if required).

2014 PWC Combined List on Bubo

This year thanks to Bresser and Forest Optics we will be supporting a worthy bird charity with a donation equivalent in pounds to the combined list of species that the competitors manage to accrue. Last year we managed 314 species which will mean a £314 donation to the BTO's Out of Africa appeal specifically helping to support our Cuckoo, Patch. We will be deciding on the charity or appeal soon but in the meantime we need your help to keep track of the number of species we have seen. We do this by keeping a list on Bubo and this has open access. The username for access is Patchwork Challenge and the password is Patching. To add a species first go to my lists, highlight the 2014 list and then go to add species or batch edit. If you find a bird new to the challenge please add to the all time list as well. You can do this by ticking the add to multiple lists option within the add species page and highlighting the life list option. Please fill in all the fields, especially when referring to rarer species including noting where you saw the bird and who the observer was in the notes. Now will anybody add something decent today?