Best Find 2025

Hello from the Patchwork Challenge team!

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry for PWC2025's Best Find. There are some superb entries and we have thoroughly enjoyed reading through them all. Now it is over to the public to vote for the lucky winners! Please take your time to read through these submissions and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. 

Sean O'Hara, Hoylake and Meols 3km

My undoubted highlight for 2025 on my local patch Hoylake/Meols was finding a Black Scoter off Hoylake on March 5th. A first for Wirral and Cheshire.

There are large Scoter flocks offshore in the winter months but they can only be seen by walking out to the tideline at low water. A walk of over a mile across the sands. In previous winters there have regularly been small groups of Long-tailed Duck and occasionally Velvet Scoter and Surf Scoter. Conditions have to be right with little swell otherwise scrutinising the flocks is impossible.

I was about to call it a day after 1.5 hrs, failing to find the Long-tailed Duck from the previous week. Then out pops this fluorescent billed Scoter in a small group about 50m offshore. Never having seen Black Scoter but knowing straight away what it was, I knew it was important to get some photos/video.

I put the news out as soon as I had a signal back on dry land with accompanying pictures.

Luckily it hung around for a few weeks with many birders trekking the mile or so across the sand to see it. 

Black Scoter, Sean O'Hara

David Newton, Whitby 10km from home

Not a mega rarity but it made my day, if not my year.

On the morning of 26th April I arrived at my Hawsker Bottoms/Ness Point patch but for some reason, and I have no idea why, I decided to do something that I have never done before and walked in the opposite direction, away from this patch but still in my 10km from home patch. An hour later a Hoopoe flew into view and landed on a wall, just long enough for one photo and then off it went. I know it's not a mega rarity but it made my day and If I hadn't of made the on the spot decision to walk the other way, I would not have found it.

Hoopoe, David Newton

William Lambourne, Much Marcle 3km

It is a damp and overcast morning on the 7th of October, with a noticeable nip in the air. I am

standing on a ridge in rural Herefordshire – a high point in the gently undulating surrounding

landscape. Below lies a patchwork of pasture fields dotted with the white specks of sheep, neat rows of fruit trees in orchards, and small patches of deciduous woodland, all intersected by a network of hedgerows. We are now in Autumn proper, and the Hawthorn hedgerows which separate the ridge’s small pasture fields have developed rich deep red berries, whilst the foliage takes on a rich, rusty red hue.

Much Marcle Ridge is my local patch, and it is a particularly good site for observing visible migration. These sorts of overcast conditions are ideal for vismig, and I and my birding partner in crime Dan Webb already had a successful morning, with a decent Meadow Pipit count, the first few continental Chaffinches of the season and 10 Crossbill. Although the ridge can draw in ‘grounded’ migrants during early Autumn, my focus very much moves to vismig by October. However, you never know, so during the walk to and from the vismig watchpoint, it’s always worth taking one’s time, just in case. This day was no different; by around 09:00, vismig passage had tailed off, so we wandered slowly back, scanning the hedgerows and fields for any grounded migrants that had arrived overnight or that morning. The scrubby ridge line produced 5 Chiffchaff foraging amongst the overgrown Blackthorn, now laden with plump, deep blue berries, 7 Goldcrest flitting above in the old, lichen-covered Elders and 3 Song Thrush, softly ‘ticking’ from out of the dense vegetation. It wasn’t exactly biblical, but it was suggestive of a small arrival of migrants overnight.

Much Marcle Ridge is a local feature, if not by name certainly by sight; the prominent mast of the Ridge Hill Transmitting Station can be seen from as far away as the Brecon Beacons in the west, to the Shropshire Hills in the north. The infrastructure around the mast isn’t particularly extensive, just a couple of flat-rooved buildings and spiked fences, contrasting rather starkly with the rural Herefordshire scene that surrounds it. You know when you can just ‘see’ a bird somewhere? Like a shrike on a rusty barbed wire fence? Dan and I had always imagined a Black Redstart on the mast buildings; one had turned up a few years beforehand, but it was in a completely different area of the ridge. As we passed the mast, Dan and I briefly scanned the buildings, as we had done almost every day in Autumn for the past 3 years. A Robin briefly flicked up onto a fence, before darting back down again. Or at least, I think it was a Robin. Odd shape though, a bit long. There it is again – that can’t be a Robin, it’s grey! Moving a little closer, it appeared again on the roof – Black Redstart! Scopes were hurriedly setup and record shots taken, before shifting positions to obtain a better view. Waiting by the collapsing old gate, we had superb views, as it foraged in and around the buildings, often perching on the fence. It appeared to be a 1st calendar year bird, but the chance of it being an adult female couldn’t be ruled out. There really was a Robin too, who seemed to be rather disgruntled by this newcomer in its winter territory, often chasing the ‘Blackstart’ away from the prime feeding ground: a strip of grass covered gravel, with easy perching positions of a fence above.

My enjoyment of this superb bird was cut somewhat sort, when I realised that my bus was about to leave, so a hasty dash was made to the bus stop, during which time my tripod attempted to fall apart, my flask leaked and I completely overheated, whilst I was pursued by rather over inquisitive bullocks!

A Black Redstart won’t make headlines on BirdGuides, but it is certainly a proper bit of Patchwork

Challenge gold for me, and is a less than an annual bird in Herefordshire too. What a special bird!
Black Redstart on the Much Marcle ridge mast = tick. Mission accomplished.
(PS – I missed the bus!)

Steve Lister, Swithland Reservoir 3km

My best find of 2025 being a Glossy Ibis that I found on my patch of Swithland Reservoir on September 5th was only the second site record ever and a UK self-found tick for me, number 309 at the time but now knocked back to 307 by Avilist. Similarly 199 and 197 for my patch self-found list.

Andy Sims,  Swanpool/Boultham Mere 3km

My patch is normally lacking in wader habitat but with the hot, dry summer this year the water level at the mere dropped drastically exposing lots of mud. By mid September I had recorded an unprecedented 14 species of wader, nothing rare but very exciting for me and I was hopeful for something good to drop in. I was at the mere early on the 15th September and was pleased to find 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Snipe and 2 Ruff present. At about 09:30 another wader flew in and landed with the Ruff, expecting it to be another Ruff I raised my binoculars and was amazed and delighted to find a superb Pectoral Sandpiper. I quickly took a few record shots and put the news out on the LBC WhatsApp. This was the first ever record of an American wader for the patch which is within the Lincoln city boundary. The bird stayed all day and was seen by a few local birders. In the evening it was feeding with 5 Ruff and although 4 of the Ruff were still present next morning the Pec had departed overnight and was not see again. I had previously recorded 3 species of American ducks at the mere, 3 Blue-winged Teal, 2 Green-winged Teal and a drake Ring-necked Duck. This year I also recorded 2 other new birds for the patch, a long awaited Cattle Egret with 4 on the cow field on just one afternoon and up to 7 Spoonbills which were present for several weeks. A slightly above average year recording 124 species, all self found, the same as 2024. The average year list over the last 18 years is 122 with my best year being 2017 when I recorded 139 species including what were then regular Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Tit and Tree Sparrow which are sadly no longer seen. Notable omissions in 2025 were Barn and Tawny Owls, Peregrine and Redstart, the first time in the 18 years that I have not recorded these. My house is in the patch and therefore all of my records are green.

Looking forward to another patchwork year and whatever it may bring. Each day going out with eager anticipation.

Pectoral Sandpiper (right) and Ruff (left), Andy Sims

Jackie Binks, Garston Coastal Reserve and Oglet 3km

My best find of 2025 has to be a Firecrest, it’s a bird I have always dreamt of seeing not just on patch but anywhere, as I’d never seen one. On the 11th December my dream came true and doing so by finding one on my patch was what made it even more special. I was scanning the trees and bushes and was happy watching a few Goldcrest flitting about and then… there it was, an absolute beauty, my heart was racing and it was an 'oh my god 'moment haha. I even managed to get a few photos. I saw it another 2 times on 12th and 16th December. I am hoping I see it again but have not had any luck up-to now but I’m always hopeful. 

Firecrest, Jackie Binks

Paul Whitehouse, Stanley Ferry Flash and Southern Washlands 3km²

My patch around Stanley Ferry Flash is based on the east side of Wakefield West Yorkshire. It's an old sand quarry about 4km south of RSPB St Aidans that is surrounded by bull rush and reeds, filled with water and fortunately plenty of fish. This brings in Egrets, Kingfisher and Bittern over the last couple of years and a patch first Spoonbill this year which was amazing, but it isn't a patch that is suitable for waders. Therefore my best find of 2025 is probably my patch first Green Sandpipers. The summer drought revealed mud that is very rare on this patch and whilst the Snipe and Water Rail were good sightings, I had hoped for a quality Wader to stop off. Fortunately, 3 Green Sandpipers did just that for a number of days. I don't know if I will see the conditions again that brought these birds in, but here's hoping for 2026.

Gavin Orr, Pontefract Park/Racecourse & surrounding area 3km

My “Best Find” on patch for 2025 was a Lesser Whitethroat.

It was 6th May and I was walking my regular route at Pontefract Park. 

The Park is the epicentre for bird life in my 3km patch. I’ve been patching this area for three years now. It’s a busy urban park, surrounded by a racecourse, and well used by the local community. I’ll be honest, it can be tough going at times in terms of “new” birds and it’s getting tougher by the year BUT there’s always a chance…

On this particular day I was halfway around the park, walking along the edge of the small reedbed, heading towards a regular vantage point to check for Warblers in some bushes and trees. As I got closer to my “stop point” I heard a bird calling that was unfamiliar for me at the Park. I’d heard this call before though at St. Aidan’s on many occasions, it sounded like a Lesser Whitethroat. I stopped, listening but now scanning with my bins… a few seconds went by and I spotted a shape moving through some scrubby Hawthorn… sure enough there it was... a Lesser Whitethroat.

Get in!!!

Patch Lifer…

I spent a few minutes watching and listening to it before I moved on. 

I checked around the area on subsequent walks but never saw it again.

So it was a brief moment in time but really sums up patching locally. If you’re out and about you’ve always got a chance of something special “turning up”. You just never know…

Steve Dudley, Westray 

In a record year for me here in Westray with some great birds found inc Franklin’s Gull from the sofa, Radde’s Warbler and a Woodchat - not to mention the six new birds for the isle - my favourite find was something less rare.  

In my fifth autumn here I found my first Wryneck on the isles. And what a show off it was. Birding one of my most productive areas of my patch, Noup Farm, along the road between our house and Noup Head, I’d just parked up and scanned the immediate area before I got out of the car when a shuffle on top of a fence post caught my eye. Bingo! It’s a species of long expected even though there’s only two previous records for Westray. It occured on a day when there was a fall of them county wide with thee on neighbouring Papay and a couple on North Ronaldsay. Glad I didn’t miss out! 

Voting

Thank you for reading through all of these fantastic submissions. Now it is time to vote! We are looking for the best find, this doesn't have to be a rare bird, simply what you deem to have been the most interesting account or the best species to have been found at that particular patch. The prize bei

To cast your vote, please choose 3 of your favourite entries and follow this link: Click Here To Vote! You have until 6pm on the 17th of January.

We aim to run this little challenge again at the start of next year so keep searching your patches, you never know if the next bird you see could be your best find!