Patchwork Challenge 2015 Review – Hawes; Steven Ward
January
Fortunately, and as per usual for the beginning of the year,
the 1st 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 3rd, 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 4th was a good day. Waking up to frosts and
ice cover, I logged a Patch 2nd 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 5th, Shoveler & Stock Dove on
6th, and Little Grebe on 7th. Kestrel first
showed on 10th.
What turned out to be my only Patch Peregrine of the
year blasted low over the garden (tick) on 11th, scattering the
local corvids in all directions.
13th 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 14th,
with Shelduck coming on 16th.
The 17th 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 19th 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 24th
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 3rd.
The first returning Curlew of the year dropped in on
17th, always nice to have these iconic birds back in the dales.
The 25th 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 28th thanks to still present floodwater.
Score: 72/75
March
A slow month, with returning breeding Redshank on 8th,
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 1st,
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 7th,
with #Patchsilver Coot a surprise on 8th.
Other notable summer migrant breeders were Common
Sandpiper (earliest ever) & Redstart (both on 13th),
and Sedge Warbler on 23rd.
Notable passage migrants this month were Jay on 13th
(rare 'tick' spring bird, with the species normally only showing in autumn) and
Wheatear finally touching down on 22nd (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 9th 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 13th,
whilst a Grasshopper Warbler (heard only) stayed for just a day on 14th.
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 2nd and 10th 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 2nd). 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 16th,
17th, 23rd & 28th. 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 31st. 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 (2nd 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 2nd
ever) were brought in by the massive flooding.
Number 3 “Top 3” came by on 23rd with a stonking
ring-tail Hen Harrier flushing Snipe here and there out of the flooded
pastures. A 3rd 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 2nd, 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
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