Patchwork Challenge

Craig Fulcher is well clear at the top of the comparative Coastal East Anglia minileague thanks to a self found Barred Warbler this month. He also added a Long-tailed Skua to further his gains and open up a 20% gap from Tommy Corcoran. Tommy added 7% and moves in the 90s after a Red-back Shrike on patch and in the process holds off the challenge from James Brown at North Lowestoft. James made even bigger strides after adding 13% in September including self found Yellow-browed Warbler (well...who hasnt now?) and also Balearic Shearwater and Barred Warbler. Red-backed Shrike - Tommy Corcoran Nige Lound has another great month and tops the 20 points from August with 25 points in September despite huge gains from James Brown in second. Nige managed to find a quartet of Yellow-brows and a duet of Long-tailed Skuas but his monthly highlights were the White-winged Black Tern and Red-footed Falcon which both graced Gibraltar Point. Craig Fulcher at Southwold rises from fourth into ...

After the recent announcement of James Common's addition to the admin team we sadly have to announce that three of the guys are having to stand down. Jonathan Scragg, Mark Reeder and Keith Dickinson have had to withdraw for a variety of reasons but we wish them all well and thank them for their valuable contributions over the last twelve months. Keith, Mark and Jonathan - dead to us. Jonathan enters his final year at university and is currently on a stint on North Ronaldsay and this combo means he sadly doesnt have the time to dedicate to the cause. Jonny was our link to NGB during his time with us and was responsible for our output in that arena and proved very effective at forging links between the two organisations. Mark was brought in as an inland advocate and helped us get a feel for what was important to the inland PWC'er. Mark's real life precluded input into PWC'ing after the spring and he reluctantly(?) decided to step down and focus on beating Bill A...

Thinking of Gateshead doesn’t immediately invoke images of awe inspiring natural places or breath-taking wildlife encounters. The area’s raw and often tarnishing industrial heritage was cemented in the mind with the installation of the now (in)famous Angel of the North, encapsulating what many folk envisage when Gateshead is mentioned. However, seek and you shall find vast areas of rolling countryside (over half of  Gateshead's  countryside!), teeming with wildlife just waiting to be discovered. One such wildlife haven is Burdon Moor, my local patch.  Roughly 4km directly west of the Angel of the North, Burdon Moor is one of the highest points in the area, showcasing panoramic views of both the Gateshead and Co. Durham countryside. Originally lowland heathland, this rare habitat was lost to agricultural “improvements” and opencast mining around 100 years ago. In an attempt to restore this location to its once glorious past, Gateshead Council instigat...

The  Bresser & Forest Optics  Best Find Competition marks the pinnacle of the Patchwork  year.  This prestigious award goes to the lucky patcher who turns up the years best bird. A bird that causes other discerning patch birders to turn green at the gills with envy. The fine people at Bresser & Forest Optics have once again demonstrated monumental generosity and have donated a pair of Bresser Montana 8.5 x 45 binoculars worth a grand total of £665.00 . A fine prize that will be awarded to the winner come years end when the results are collated and the votes cast.  To many birders, August marks the start of Autumn. Gone are the Summer doldrums, the days spent observing butterflies and the warm yet somewhat tedious days of July. August provides a much needed jolt of invigoration to many birders as the first scarce migrants begin to trickle through and a myriad of marvellous seabirds grace our coastal watchpoints. To many, ...

Recently I was asked to join the prestigious ranks of the Patchwork Challenge team, a challenge I welcomed with open arms. I have participated in the Patchwork Challenge since the beginning and as such find myself honoured to have been invited to blog, tweet and otherwise help with the challenge. As you will no doubt be seeing my name crop up on the blog from time to time, and may well receive the odd email from me in reference to finds and such I thought I should provide a little background so that you know just who it is you are speaking to. I'm James, a twenty-two year old naturalist and birder from the North-East of England. As I said above, I have participated in PWC since the outset and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Anyone that follows my blog will know that I have a special place in my heart for Stobswood, a rather barren and hideously under-birded site that falls within the Inland North mini league. This is a site that I have watched since a very ear...

Ben Moyes stayed top of the Inland East Anglia comparative minileague as his score surged to 118% after adding Ringed Plover in August. Nick Robinson stayed in second and 5% behind after adding Tawny Owl. Mike McCarthy at Taverham and Ringland displaces Ben Rackstraw and moves into third spot after adding a monster 23% since his last update. Jim Bradley also passed 100% and closes in on 4th thanks to an Osprey. Neither of the top two entered a score for August so it it as you were and Ashley McElwee closes right up on them at Felmingham after a 17 point month including flyover Dotterel and Black-tailed Godwit. Have we got a three way race? Nick Moran managed to make headway thanks to Tree Pipit, Firecrest and Osprey at BTO HQ whilst there was a Red Kite for Rob Lucking at Colkirk. Darren Oakley-Martin managed to add Redstart on the Bedfordshire Fens. Finally Drew Lyness managed to add Green Sandpiper and Spotted Flycatcher at UEA.

Another quiet month in the NGB minileague with only a few competitors publishing their score, namely due to commitments at university and so forth. Its a hard life for young patchers! Despite this the comparative league appears to have been shaken up somewhat with Amy Robjohns overtaking yours truly (James Common) to claim to the top spot and Johnathan Scragg falling to third place. Amy's leap from fifth place to first was aided by some good birds at Titchfield in August including five individual Wood Sandpipers . With only a minute fraction between Amy and James at the top of the comparative league it will only take one good bird during september to clinch it during the coming month. Further down the table the lineup of Patchwork stalwarts remains largely the same. No shock changes in the points league on this occasion though a few competitors did make gains with Cathal Forkan jumping up a place, Amy Robjohns hopping from sixth to fifth place and Ash Baines and Drew ...

Craig Fulcher is the first contestant to breach the 100% barrier in Coastal East Anglia thanks to adding Balearic Shearwater and Wryneck this month. Tommy Corcoran moves into second after adding 7% this month. Ryan drops to third after spending most of the month off patch. James Brown adds 5% to get very close to the podium places - perhaps a decent September at North Lowestoft will elevate him. Wryneck - Craig Fulcher Nige Lound stays top in the points minileague after adding 20 points this month with Black Stork, Red-backed Shrike and Barred Warbler seen and a self-found Wryneck adding some bonus points. Robert Smith moves up a place into second after a decent August at Holme adding 14 points this month. James Brown does make the podium in the points minileague after adding Wryneck, Black Tern and Little Stint. Away from the top of the table and the only additional bonus points this month were for a Wryneck unearthed by Scott Mayson at Thorpeness which moves him up a place....

A new leader emerges in the Coastal North Comparative Minileague at the end of August as Stewart Sexton adds nine new species to his Howick patch year list (including two Pied Flycatchers in the garden!) taking him over 95%. A classic August Spotted Crake plus a Short-eared Owl at Fleetwood boosted Seumus Eaves over the 90% mark and into second place.  Pied Flycatcher at Hoswick  ©  Stewart Sexton The rather excellent fall of migrants which hit the east coast at the end of August allowed many contestants to add significantly to their species lists. Martin Garner jumped from 172 to 187 species (and past 70%) at Flamborough with a superb tally of three Icterine Warblers, Wryneck, Long-tailed Skua and Garganey. PWC's own James Spencer went from 72 species at St. Mary's Island to 81 species with some patch goodies such as Black Tern and Little Stint. Mick Turton continues his run in first place on the points table. He cleaned up nicely during August where Sp...

Ed Keeble still leads the charge on the Estuarine Comparative Minileague table with two new species added in August at his Brantham patch edging him ever closer to 100%. The second site record of Bluethroat at Lytchett Bay headed up a total of eight species added there by Shaun Robson, keeping him firmly in second place. Russell Neave at Maldon overtakes Gordon Hodgson at Saul Warth & Frampton on Severn for third place by only by less than 1%. Whinchat, Little Tern and Ruff were Russell's highlights of the month. Paul Sullivan remain at the top of the points minileague at the end of August with an excellent 168 species and 235 points. Dave Craven consolidates his third place position at Hale & Pickerings Pasture with fine patch birds such as Willow Tit, Tree Sparrow, Great White Egret, Wood Sandpiper and best of all, a self found White-rumped Sandpiper which was just reward for two months of regular scans through the high tide wader roost! Ian Ballam and Shaun R...