2025 Patchwork Challenge Wrap Up!

Hello from the Patchwork Challenge team! 

Well what a year 2025 was! So many patches recorded so many great birds nationally, with just in the first half of the year alone the following birds being recorded: Baikal Teal, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Ferruginous Duck, Ross's Gull, American Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Pallid Harrier, Scop's Owl, Western and Eastern Subalpine Warblers, Iberian Chiffchaff and Pallas's Reed Bunting! Not all of these are from well watched coastal sites, showing that as long as you work a patch, you have the oppurtunity to fiind anything just about anywhere! You have to be out there to find it... 

Amy Robjohns had a big flock of Eurasian White-fronted Geese, part of the national influx during the later part of December!

We would like to extend a massive thank you to everyone that took part in the challenge. It has been fantastic to follow your patches through the scoresheet, Bluesky and Twitter and we really appreciate how much you have all been engaging. Despite the challenge that we didn't expect to be taking on this project at the start of the year in 2025, we have been doing our best to keep everything running as smoothly as we can so we would also like to thank you for all of your patience and continued support throughout. So now what you have all been waiting for, the scores! 

We hope you enjoy reading the round-up on the last month of the year, and seeing where you came in the minileagues!

THE TOP 20 COMPARITIVE SCORES

The top three 3km² comparitive patches will be recieving a Patchwork Challenge Champion pin badge. The winners for these are Owen Tattersall at Figham Common in East Yorkshire, Paul French at Easington in East Yorkshire and Steve Lister at Swithland Reservoir in Leicestershire. Well done to those three participants on a fantastic years Patch Birding! 

THE TOP 20 OVERALL SCORES 3km²

THE TOP 20 OVERALL SCORES 10km

Top Overall Scores per mini-league 3km²:

Inland North England: Ben Moyes, Swillington Ings - 210 points

Inland Midlands: Pete Sofley, Ladywalk NR - 188 points

Inland South England: Matthew Dick, RSPB Lakenheath - 166 points

Inland Scotland: Alex Ash, Kilmacolm - 91 points 

Inland Wales: Nicholas Beswick, Mynydd Llangatwg - 58 points

Coastal East England: Jack Pettit, Spurn - 387 points

Coastal South England: Jacob Spinks, Dungeness Bird Observatory 3km² - 330 points

Coastal West England: Sean O'Hara, Leasowe/Meols/Hoylake - 167 points

Coastal Scotland: Rob Hughes, Nybster - 226 points 

Coastal Wales: Peter Howlett, Cardiff Bay - 145 points

Estuarine: Gordon Hodgson, Frampton, Splatt & Saul Warth - 183 points

Islands: John Bowler, Balephuil - 330 points 

All of the above winners of a fair competiton, ie where two or more participants actively took part in a mini-league, will recieve a Patchwork Challenge Champion pin badge. 

Inland North, England: 

Ben Moyes has come out on top in this mini-league with a blindingly good 210 points scored, giving him a comparitive of 111%. Ben is also the only inland patch to finish in the overall Top 20 for 3km² patches - well done! Duncan Bye at Wheldrake Ings is in second with 177 points, having picked up Slavonian Grebe and Glossy Ibis in December. A close battle for third but ultimately Ciaran Rowett at Martin Mere takes bronze with 172 points at Martin Mere WWT, he picked up Ring-necked Duck, Short-eared Owl and Fieldfare in the final month. Just missing out on third is Lee Wiseman at Gouthwaite Reservoir with 170 points, but he had an above average year with 107% scored. Mike Leakey at Bishop Middleham scored on Stonechat, leaving him on 142 points, just above Darren Best at Swinemoor. 

Owen Tattersall comes first in comparative in this league and also for 3km comparative overall, so a huge well done to Owen for scoring 125% from 124 points at Figham Common. He had a brilliant end to the year with the first Jack Snipe for the site in 20 years, but also 13 Eurasian White-fronted Geese, two Eygptian Geese and a Peregrine. Paul Whitehouse who is just behind in comparative with a brilliant 118% at Stanley Ferry Flash and Southern Washlands picked up Marsh Harrier, just the second patch record. There is some notable comparitive scores elsewhere in this mini-league with Gavin Orr at Pontefract Park and Racecourse plus surrounding area hitting 86% and Pam Pickersgill at Morley & Churwell getting 82%.

Glossy Ibis on Duncan Bye's Wheldrake patch, a species that has graced many patches this autumn and has been enjoyed by many!

Inland Midlands, England: 

Pete Sofley at Ladywalk Nature Reserve retains his first place position till the end of the year with 188 points scored, he just surpassed the 100% comparative barrier with 101% and had a good month picking up Jack Snipe and Goldeneye in the last few days of the year. He also realised that he had missed off a couple of regular species like Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, which helped increase his years tally! Well done Pete. A bit like Pete, Steve Atkinson at Middle Tame had previously overlooked some regular species off his patch year list, giving him some extra points this December! He also saw Pink-footed Goose this December, the first Middle Tame record since 2020. This leaves Steve on 180 points scored and 113% comparative, putting him second on both overall and comparitive for Inland Midlands, a very good achievement! First however comparitively falls too Steve Lister at Swithland Reservoir who has had an excellent year scoring 124% from 146 points. Nice work Steve! 

Andy Sims at Boultham Mere and Swanpool falls just a few points short of both 100% comparitive and third place in the league, finishing up on 99% from 143 points. Brian Hedley at Trent Port and Marton came up in fifth with 117 points however hot on his heels was Tom Shields at Colwick Park. Tom finished the year on 115 points but a great 106%, putting him third in comparitive. William Lambourne at Much Marcle scored a respectable 110 points, unfortunatley he is the only U25 participant in this league, come on young Midland's birders - get patch birding!

Phil Woolen at Mollington scored a nice 95% comparative, quickly followed by Dan Leadley at Dereham, Norfolk with 94%! Dan added two new species to his patch year list in December with Stonechat and Meadow Pipit. 

In the 10km league, it is a very tight top three with just eight points seperating them, Andy Sims at Swanpool finished out on top with 167 points, followed by Richard Harbird who just narrowly missed out on first place with 166 points at Redditch. Tom Shields at Nottingham Trent Valley came in third with 159 points, which left him on 110% comparitive, which puts him second in this catergory, only beaten by Steve Lister at Loughborough with 116% from 154 points. Although nowt new in December, Steve saw 16 Whooper Swans and 45 Pink-footed Geese fly over his garden, both decent local records. William Lambourne at Ledbury and Dan Webb at Sellack have a fantastic local rivalry, with just two points between them in both points scored and comparative. William scored 141 points and 107% while Dan scored 139 points and 109%! I will let them two decide who won that one... 

Inland South, England: 

Matthew Dick at RSPB Lakenheath Fen came out first overall in the Inland South mini-league with 166 points scored, giving him a comparative of 104%. His December highlight being Water Pipit, a species that he had missed out on earlier in the year. Geoff Wyatt at Day's Lock, Oxon came second with 153 points, he had a great final month with Caspian and Med Gull, Goldeneye and White-fronted Goose recorded. Conor Mackenzie at Sutton Courtenay finished with 131 just points, just two ahead of Freddie Matthews at Winchester. John Pritchard at Ver Valley just broke par with 101% scored from 124 points. His December highlight being Jack Snipe. A patch tick for Gareth Casburn at Ardley ERF with Marsh Harrier, who finished on the second highest comparitive in the league with 107% from 120 points. Gareth Blockley at Grimsbury Reservoir and East Banbury finished on the same total of points, but equal lowest comparitive of 90% with Conor. 

Neil Burt finished first in comparitive in this mini-league, after having an astounding year. Neil ended up on 111% from 118 points adding both Golden Plover and Lapwings in December as part of hard weather movement. Superb work, Neil! 

Mostly quiet in the rest of the league, with Ian Bennell at Tring Reservoirs,College Lake + Pitstone Quarry recording no new species in December, meaning he finished on 95%. Followed by Tom Bedford at Lye Valley recording 87% and Ian Sherriffs at nearby Buscot Wick scoring 62%. Generally a poor league this year for comparison scores, with only four patches breaking the 100% barrier. Hopefully 2026 is more productive year for more patch birders in this league.

In the 10km league, Dave Helliar at Chard finished in top spot with 104% from 156 points, his best birds of the month being seven Crossbills. Jeff Gooding at Roding Valley Meadows finished the year on 95% from 70 points and Alan Dawson at Cholsey got 83% from 88 points. 

Adult Caspian Gull surrounded by Lesser Black-backed Gulls, part of Geoff Wyatt's blazing end to the year.

Coastal East, England: 

Jack Pettit came out in first place from Spurn in both this league and nationally for overall points scored, finishing the year on 387. Silver and bronze per points scored also goes to participants from the Spurn area with Rob Hunton and Mark Andrews finishing on 309 and 301 points respectively, although both on under par scores of 88% and 80% due to a poor year for the area. Trevor Girling at Titchwell RSPB ended level with Mark Andrews on comparative with 80% after scoring 291 points, he was followed quickly by Owen Beaumont at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR who scored 284 points. 

Paul French at Easington scored 250 points, putting him on a huge comparative score of 124%, which put him second nationally in comparative rankings, so he will be recieving one of the Patchwork Challenge Champion pin badges. Only one other participant broke the 100% barrier in this league with Will Scott in Bempton Village scoring 104%. 

James Brown patching the Lowestoft area came seventh in points scored in this mini-league scoring 224 points, which gives him a respectable 93%. Stuart Ainsworth at Gibraltar Point followed the trend of scoring 80% comparative, after picking up 216 points. Duncan Watson at Tynemouth and Will Scott at Bempton Cliffs finished just a few points apart with 202 and 199 respectively, but both finished on 88% (recurring theme here!). John Chapman at South Tyneside finished the year on 162 points and Paul Newton at Hawsker Bottoms to Robin Hoods Bay got to 130, leaving him on 93%. 

In the 10km league, the top three are all from Bird Observatories with Rob Hunton picking up 325 points from Spurn, Paul French got too 297 points from Easington and Nige Lound reached 291 points from Gibraltar Point which puts him on 85% comparative. James Brown at Hopton scored 231 points, and the second highest comparative with 86% and Paul Newton at Whitby picked up six Twite this month meaning he finished the year on 89% from 190 points. 

Coastal South, England: 

Jacob Spinks at Dungeness BIrd Observatory finished first in this league, picking up 106% from 330 points. Kevin Rylands at Dawlish Warren finished second in comparative and overall points scored after getting to 98% from 236 points. He actually had a very good month adding Redwing, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goosander, Merlin and of course the most unexpected of them all, a Lesser Crested Tern! This delighting twitchers for days as it fed in the estuary and is the first British record in two decades! An excellent way to finish the year, Kevin! Amy Robjohns at Titchfield Haven ended the year on 218 points giving her a nice comparative of 92%. Her December highlights being an excellent flock of White-fronted Geese, likely to be the largest flock since before Amy was born! She also recorded even more Caspian Gulls, which up until recently was a very rare bird there! Jonathan Burton added a few points to his Chyngton Farm to Cuckmere Haven patch year list with a December Snipe, meaning he ended 2025 with 108 points scored. Kevin Rylands other patch, his window in Teignmouth, notched up too 97% comparative with Black-tailed Godwit. 

In the 10km league, Jacob at Dungeness Bird Observatory finished on 373 points. Amy who has been birding around The Solent between Calshot to Portsmouth Harbour ended the year on 227 points. Bob Ford who has spent 2025 birding on foot from his Weymouth has picked up an incredibly impressive tally of 221 points. 

Coastal West, England: 

Only Sean O'Hara took part in this mini-league, but he had a good year finding Black Scoter and scoring above par with 102% from 167 points. Good luck for 2026, Sean! Hopefully there will be some more competitors in this mini-league this year.

Inland Scotland: 

Alex Ash at Kilmacolm finished first both in comparative and overall points scored in the Inland Scotland mini-league after scoring 94% from 91 points. Lee Hesp at his Strathyre patch scored a respectable 87% from 61 points, his December addition being Pheasant. 

In the 10km, Mike Hodgkin at Peniciuik picked up 116 points. 

Coastal Scotland: 

Rob Hughes at Nybster had a brilliant year, leading the mini-league in both comparative and overall points, picking up 122% from 226 points. The low species tally of just 135 shows the high quality of birds found! His December highlight here being Northern Bullfinch. Superb work, Rob. Andrew Whitehouse at Girdle Ness and Torry finished on 206 points having picked up Black Redstart as this months highlight. Dylan Daunt at Musselburgh finished the year in third with 180 points scored. Nina O'Hanlon at Nybster finished in fourth, having picked up 168 points but a brilliant 115% comp score. Andrew Whewell finished just behind at North Berwick East with 164 points, but a comparative score of 87%. Rich Aurthurs at Gullane and Aberlady Bay had a great end to the year, picking up Green-winged Teal, Kingfisher and Slavonian Grebe in the final month. Nick Littlewood at Portsoy trailed just one point behind Rich by scoring 152 points, which put him on a very good comparison total of 97%. Rob Hughes' other patches, John O'Groats and Freswick, ended the year by scoring 132 and 112 points. 

In the 10km league, Rob Hughes also came first with 250 points from Nybster, this giving him a total comp score of 103%. Dylan Daunt came second from Edinburgh, having scored 205 points. Nina O'Hanlon scored a great 108% at Nybster. 

Snow Bunting, a typical December bird for the east coast of Britain and a nice late addition for Andrew Whitehouse.

Inland Wales: 

Nicholas Beswick at Mynydd Llangatwg being the sole participant in PWC2025 for the Inland Wales catergory, he finished on 53 species and 58 points on green format. 

Coastal Wales: 

Peter Howlett at Cardiff Bay seals first place with 145 points scoring 108%. Alex Jones at Rhyl scored 97 points. 

In the 10km league, Peter Howlett from Cardiff Bay scored 161 points and Alex Jones at Broughton scored 100 points. 

Inland/Coastal Ireland: 

Unfortunatly no active participants from Ireland this year, but this already looks to have changed this year. If you are an Irish patch birder, get involved!

Estuarine: 

Gordon Hodgson takes gold in the Estuarine mini-league with 183 points scored, with an excellent 107% comparative. Well done Gordon! The finding of a Black-winged Kite earlier in the year put him over the line of winning the league with Peter Hazelwood at Oldbury Power Station sitting just eight points behind in second. Peter also sits second comparative with 86% and picked up Water Pipit during December. John Conlin-Hume at Paull trailed just behind comparatively with 80% from 131 points. Shortly following John is Jackie Binks, who finished the year on 130 points at Garston and Oglet. Their patch highlights in December being Redpoll but also a lifer in the form of a Firecrest! 

 

Gordon's Black-winged Kite is up there with being the or one of the best birds found by participants this year. Keep an eye out for the 2025 Best Find competition!

Islands: 

John Bowler from Balephuil has scored an excellent 330 points, giving him a comparative score of 121%. Superb work John on winning this very close league! His December highlights being finding a Ring-necked Duck. Interesting to hear about a pale Spotted Flycatcher from September/October that has now been submitted to BBRC as a potential Mediterranean Flycatcher! David Roche came in a hard fought second place on Papa Westray, scoring 325 points and 118% comparative. The list of finds from both participants this year has been very impressive, good luck for 2026! 

Steve Dudley at Westray came in third in overall points scored with 232, he didn't add anything new in December apart from, like others, missing birds off his list that he had seen earlier in the year! These included species like Rosefinch and Hobby, the latter a good bird for that far north. David Parnaby on Fair Isle unfortunatly hasn't updated his scores for a while but from what we can gather finished on 231 points, just one short of Steve. Sean Morris on his Isle of Rum patches with both over 100 points, Kilmory got to 104% from 144 points and Kinloch 89% from 103 points. 

In the 10km league, John Bowler on Tiree scored an incredible 127% comp score, with his previous score being a high 296 that is some doing! He finished the year on 376 points. Steve Dudley came in second with a record year on Westray having recorded six isle firsts, with this he picked up a superb 116% comparative score from 307 points.  Sean Morris on the Isle of Rum couldn't quite scrape to a par comparative score, ending the year on 98% from 157 points. Mark Lawler at Hommet to Rousse on Guernsey broke par with 103% from 108 points. 

Green: 

It is awesome to see so many patch birders take part in a green format and do some Low Carbon Birding! Well done for everyone that has done so, and hope you continue it into 2026! 

U25s: 

Of course, Jack Pettit's year at Spurn comes out on top of every league it participates in but still this has been a very competitive league with positions changing. Hopefully we can all encourage more young birders to take part in the 2026 competition! 

We hope that you have all enjoyed 2025's patch birding as much as we have. Most of you will now be well underway ticking off species for 2026's Patchwork Challenge, hopefully the cold weather has delivered some geese or duck species that can be harder to guarantee at the end of the year. We look forward to seeing your updates during the year! Keep us updated with all your patch birding by using the hashtags #PWC2026, #PatchBirding and #PatchGold. If you are yet to sign up to this year's competition, it is never too late to start and you can sign up by following this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iZORva8WZXRiaCZcQUE9CNmog3k0EhnhW-GflGqNYoA/edit?usp=sharing

In 2026, we will be giving prizes per mini-league by comparative score, and not by overall points, so remember to input a previous full years birding score into the 'Prev Score' box! But please don't be disheartened to start if you have never done patch birding before, as we will be just as interested about what turns up on your patch and where you come in overall points scored. There are other ways to win prizes too, for example through our yearly best find competition!

This January we strongly reccomend checking all your local flocks of geese, as there still plenty of Tundra Bean and White-fronted Geese knocking about. 

Good luck and happy birding! 

The Patchwork Challenge team.