June round-up 2026

Hello from the Patchwork Challenge team! June was about average, and was probably the quietest month of the year so far for #PWC2026 but there were a few glimmers of excellence, and there was still a trickle of late spring drift migrants, particularly in the northern isles. Just one 10km patch in Shetland picked up four national rarities. Other stuff noted included the first of Britain Western Reef Heron in Conwy, Squacco Heron and Kentish Plover in Kent, Pacific Golden Plover and Pallid Swift in Yorkshire amongst a whole load of other stuff! July is an exciting month, and in the birding calendar is the start of autumn although as I write this a Green/Greenish Warbler has started to sing at Bempton, almost certainly an exceedingly late spring migrant?! Otherwise, things to expect this month are the returning waders, with good numbers of common waders on the move. Spotted Redshanks are early movers and they can be looking amazing in their summer plumage at this time of year. Black-tailed Godwits and Green Sandpipers are also early movers, with plenty on the move already. July also gives a very serious chance of an amazing goodie, with the first week in July last year providing Pacific Golden Plover, Collared Pratincole, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper and White-rumped Sandpiper nationally. It is also a brilliant month for Greater Sand Plover, amongst other major rarity waders. It has already been a brilliant July for Common Scoters making the overland crossing from the North Sea to the Irish Sea. They are mostly crossing Yorkshire and Lancashire but with a lot of passage late in the evening and into the night, its worth scanning the skies in the last hour of light while also checking any large bodies of water. There are already passerines on their autumn migration, with Swallows and Sand Martins already making southbound journeys and crossing the channel. Willow, Grasshopper, Reed and Sedge Warblers are also turning up away from breeding areas, as are Wheatears and Stonechats as they start to disperse and move south. Autumn well and truly is kicking off! If you haven't yet seen our Best Find January to June #PWC2026 competition, then you can see the entries and go on to vote by clicking here.

Quail taken by Tyler Atkinson

TOP 20 COMPARATIVE SCORES 3KM²

TOP 20 OVERALL SCORES 3KM²

TOP 20 COMPARATIVE SCORES 10KM

TOP 20 OVERALL SCORES 10KM

Inland North, England: 

Mike Leakey at Bishop Middleham is still running riot with the Inland North league, having picked up a further two percent to put him on 109%! His best bird for June being a Corn Bunting, a good local bird. He is followed by Owen Tattersall at Figham Common in second place on 99%, he saw Cattle Egret. Pam Pickersgill at Morley and Churwell in joint third with Duncan Bye at Wheldrake Ings, both on 98%. Duncan's best birds for the month also include Cattle Egret as well as Quail, Grasshopper Warbler and Green Sandpiper. Mark Langston at Dearne Valley is in fourth on 94% with Little Gulls the most noteworthy bird there for the month. Gavin Orr at Pontefract Park is in fifth on 91%, just ahead of Phil Woollen at Mollington on 90%. Paul Whitehouse at Stanley Ferry Flash and Southern Washlands at 87% is in seventh. Pam's other patch is Gildersome where she is on 80% followed by Ciaran Rowett at WWT Martin Mere on 78%. In the 10km league, Nigel Harris at Middletons is on 92%. 

In the overall points scored, Duncan Bye at Wheldrake Ings leads with 173 points scored quickly followed by Mark Langston at Dearne Valley who is on 171. Adam Firth at Elvington is on 143 points in third followed by a close battle for fourth with Ciaran Rowett and Mike Leakey just a point apart on 135 and 134 respectively. There is also a very close battle for sixth, with Owen at Figham Common leading it on 123 points then Darren Best on Swinemoor on 122 followed by Paul Newton at Scaling Dam on 121. Paul's highlight being Great White Egret. Harry Coghill had a patch tick in the form of a Reed Warbler at Borrans Park to put him on 117 points. 

In the 10km league, Mark Langston at Dearne Valley is leading on 162 points. Adam Firth at Elvington is on 148 points to put him in second and Muhummed Hussain is third on 130 points from Preston. Harry Coghill in the Ambleside area trails behind Muhummed by just a single point, Harry had a great month with the best being a county tick Long-eared Owl. Nigel Harris at Middletons is on 87 points and Gary Pickles at Burley in Wharfedale is on 52. 

Inland Midlands, England: 

Brian Hedley at Marton and Trent Port is leading the charge on 103%, a good month there with Spoonbill and Hobby amongst other things. Lucas Burfield is in second at Cambridge Research Park and Waterbeach Barracks on 99%, the next bird should break the 100% barrier for Lucas! Dan Leadley is third on 97% at Dereham. The last to be into the nineties is Pete Sofley at Ladywalk Nature Reserve on 91% from 163 points, the month highlights for him were Avocet and Curlew. Tom Shields at Colwick Park is on 88%. Richard Harbird is joint sixth with Joe Parham on 84%, at Morton Bagot and Fen Drayton Lakes respectively. Richard's best birds being Sand Martin and Gadwall, both new for the year. 

In the 10km league, Richard Harbird is currently leading the group with 90% at Redditch, a Spoonbill there the stand-out highlight by being a site first. Another goodie in the form of a Little Tern, the first site record since 2011. Andy Sims is second at Swanpool on 83% and Tom Shields at Nottingham Trent Valley on 81%. 

Little Tern taken by Richard Harbird

Daniel Langston is flying off into the lead in the overall points scored part of the league with 206 points scored at Bardney Pits. His highlights include Mandarin Duck and Spotted Flycatcher. Chris Hubbard at Stanford Reservoir is in second on a respectable 184 points, but a quiet month only gave him Barn Owl as the new addition. Tyler Atkinson is in third at Clifford Hill Gravel Pits, he had a fantastic month (considering June is normally a quiet time for the Midlands!) he picked up a couple of Quail and Little Terns, Redstart and both Partridges amongst a host of other goodies! This puts him on 175 points for the year so far from 139 species. Pete Sofley is in fourth on 163 points scored at Ladywalk. 

In the 10km league, Tyler Atkinson is streaks ahead on 200 points from Abington, Northampton - his highlights include both Red-crested Pochard and Spotted Flycatcher. Matthew Pollock in Kingsbury is in second on 155 points scored, which is very respectable from the green format.

Inland South, England: 

Matt Slaymaker at West Sedgemoor has taken the league by storm and is now up front on 107%, just two percent ahead of his nearest rival. Matt's best birds from the month include Great Crested Grebe and Nuthatch, as well as a very out of season Tundra Bean Goose of potentially dubious origin? Tom Bedford at Lye Valley has been relegated to second place on an amazing 105% at Lye Valley so far. Ian Bennell at Tring Reservoirs, College Lake and Pitstone Quarry is just a percent away from smashing the 100% barrier. Matthew Dick at Lakenheath Fen is on 96% after having seen a patch tick in the form of a Nuthatch. Geoff Wyatt at Day's Lock and Bishop's Court Farm is on 93% from 143 points followed very closely by Charlie Joseph at Weald Country Park and Bentley Area on 92%. Gareth Blockley at Grimsbury Reservoir is in eighth on 88%, keeping ahead of both John Pritchard and Neil Burt on 86% in ninth. Neil, on his Godinton, Hothfield and Singleton patch had a stunning piece of patch gold fly over his patch (and house!) in the form of a Honey Buzzard! He also picked up a Spotted Flycatcher, a handy year tick. Dave Helliar, the only participant in the 10km comparative league, is on a nice 85% score having picked up Barn Owl, Redshank and Pochard in June. 

Pochard taken by Dave Helliar

In the overall points scored part of the league, Matthew Dick is up front on 160 points at Lakenheath. Then in second is Geoff Wyatt at Day's Lock and Bishop's Court Farm who made no advancement on 143 scored since May. Thomas Miller at Port Meadow also made no advancements on his 137 scored but Matt Slaymaker is gaining on him at West Sedgemoor with 130 points. Dave Helliar at Chard junction leads a tight part of the league in fifth with 112 points scored, his best bird being Pochard. John Pritchard is in sixth at Ver Valley on 107 points followed by Ian and Gareth joint seventh on 105 points. In joint eighth is Neil Burt and Conor Mackenzie, the latter at Blewbury Chalkpit and Downs with both players scoring 101. Rupert Evershed isn't a mile off breaking the hundred points barrier on 96 scored at Stanborough Gravel Pits. 

It is fairly tight at the top of the 10km overall league, but Dave Helliar is leading on 132 points scored at Chard, followed by Rob Hill in North Buckinghamshire on 126 points and Rupert Evershed at St Albans on 122 points. 

Coastal East, England:

Trevor Girling at Titchwell Marsh has retained his lead into June, but hasn't been able to extend it with 91% still scored. Nige Lound at Gibraltar Point upped his score by just a percent to 85% while Stuart Ainsworth's total has temporarily halted on 84%. Mark Andrews in Kilnsea increased his score to 76%, and had an excellent bird in the form of a Marsh Tit! This being the first record for the Observatory in fifteen years! Remarkably, this bird was already bearing a ring which revealed it had been ringed as a nestling this spring by fellow mini-league patch birder Will Scott at Tophill Low, a nature reserve between Driffield and Beverley. Duncan Watson at Tynemouth is now in fifth on 74%, however Owen Beaumont is hot on his toes with 73% scored at Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe Dunes NNR. A few fine birds for Owen include Pectoral Sandpiper, Quail and Pochard. Will Scott on his Bempton Village patch in seventh is just a percent behind Owen on 72% with his Bempton Cliffs patch next up on 66%. John Chapman at NE South Tyneside is in ninth on 55% scored, but he also managed to join the Quail invasion. 

In the 10km league, Paul Newton at Whitby picked up a further three percent to put him on 91% while Nige Lound managed to nip in front for second place at Gibraltar Point with 87% scored. James Brown at Hopton is now in third on 86% and Paul French is fourth on 42% in Easington. 

Screenshot from a video of Pectoral Sandpiper by Owen Beaumont

Trevor Girling also leads with overall points scored on 266 at Titchwell Marsh, he is again followed by Nige Lound at Gibraltar Point on 248 points scored. Harry Appleyard is third having picked 246 points so far at Spurn, he had a fab month with the discoveries of Serin, Pallid Swift as well as Spurn's first Marsh Tit in over a decade. Mark Andrews is in fourth from Kilnsea on 228 points while over the river Owen Beaumont at Saltfleetby and Theddlethorpe Dunes is in fifth on 208. Stuart Ainsworth at Gibraltar Point is on 181 points and James Brown in seventh at Lowestoft is on 170. The close battle between Duncan Watson and Martin Kerby, who both patch Tynemouth (but Martin has the addition of Cullercoats) is still ongoing with 150 and 147 points scored respectively. An adult Long-tailed Skua for Martin is the month's highlight. In the 10km league, Nige Lound is up front by being the first to score over 200 points with 252 so far while James Brown is in second from Hopton on 198. Paul Newton at Whitby is just marginally ahead of John Chapman at South Tyneside, they are on 173 and 171 respectively with John picking up a Quail as his best bird. 

Coast South, England: 

Kevin Rylands at Teignmouth is hogging the top two spots! His patch of Teignmouth window is currently leading on 77% while his Dawlish Warren patch is on 73%, with the latter picking up Little Tern, Storm Petrel and after missing out in spring, Sand Martin. Jacob Spinks had a stand-out rare at Dungeness Bird Observatory in the form of a Squacco Heron feeding at close range on some lily pads! This puts him on 65% for the year. Jacob Wood round at Berry Head to Mansands is on 57% from 97 points. In the 10km league, Bob Ford has taken the league by storm having scored 85% from his Weymouth on foot patch. An awesome month included Honey Buzzard over the house, Cattle Egret, Black Tern and Green Sandpiper. Jacob Spinks working a 10km patch from Dungeness notched up 63% scored, the finding of a Kentish Plover on the last day boosted the total. 

Jacob Spinks is leading the league in overall points scored from Dungeness Bird Observatory with 216 so far. Kevin Rylands at Dawlish Warren is in second on 172 just ahead of Jonathan Bull on the Sandwich Bay estate and RSPB Worth Marshes patch, who is on 167. Jonathan Singlewood-Dodds is in fourth on 117 points and then Ryan Irvine at St Buryan on 114. 

Coastal West, England: 

Sean O'Hara is still the only competitor for the comparative Coastal West mini-league, putting him in top spot with 67%. Liam Langley however takes first place with overall points scored, having picked up 133 points at St Ives. 

Inland Wales: 

Jonni Price being the sole competitor in this mini-league at Llanrwst 10km patch. He has so far scored 81 points and had a great month, with Spotted Flycatcher from the bathroom window as well as singing Wood Warblers and Barn Owl!

Coastal Wales: 

Peter Howlett is currently in the lead in terms of both comparative and overall points scored at his Cardiff Bay patch with 97 points equating to 67%. Toby Phelps at Manorbier is on 85 points giving 50%. In the 10km league, Toby on the Castlemartin Peninsula has picked up 119 points to give him a one percent lead of 69%, while Peter Howlett at Cardiff is on 110 for 68%.

Inland Scotland: 

Lee Hesp is currently leading at Strathyre in comparative score with a total of 98%! His best birds for June include Kingfisher and Oystercatcher. Alex Ash at Kilmacolm has scored more points with 85 and it gives him a very respectable comp score of 90%. 

Coastal Scotland: 

Rob Hughes is currently leading in the comparative Coastal Scotland mini-league at Freswick with the first to break 100%. He also takes second place with 94% from John O'Groats. Nick Littlewood at Portsoy is in third having picked up two patch ticks, Tufted Duck but the best a seen Quail! This puts Nick on 89%. Rich Arthurs at Gullane and Aberlady Bay is just a percent (and point) behind on 88%. Nina O'Hanlon at Nybster is in fifth on 83% and Andrew Whewell is sixth on 74% at North Berwick east. Andrew Whitehouse at Girdle Ness and Torry is on 71% with a few nice birds including Scaup, Cuckoo and Reed Warbler, the latter the first there since seven years. Rob Hughes is in eighth on 61% from Nybster. 

In the 10km league, Rich Arthurs is streaks ahead on 98% at Gullane, with Nina O'Hanlin in second place at Nybster on 85%. Rob Hughes is in third, also at Nybster on 65%. 

Tufted Ducks taken by Nick Littlewood

In the overall points scored part of the league, Paul Higson at St Combs is up front on 169 points. Andrew Whitehouse at Girdle Ness and Torry is on 146 points followed by Nina O'Hanlon at Nybster on 140 and Rob Hughes at the same site on 138. Nick Littlewood at Portsoy is just two points off fourth on 136 and Rich Arthurs is just a point behind that on 135. In the 10km league, Paul Higson is screaming ahead on 214 points at St Combs. It was then a very close battle for second with three participants just three points apart with Rich Arthurs on 165, Nina O'Hanlon on 164 and Rob Hughes on 163.  

Ireland: 

Róisín Towe at Tramore Valley Park on 67 points is the only one to submit scores for the league, to put her in first place. She is also the only participant at Douglas, where she has scored 88 points. 

Islands: 

Sean Morris is still leading the pack on 87% at his Kinloch patch. Steve Dudley at Westray is second on 78%, with a Quail by his house the best bird. Sean Morris in third with his other Isle of Rum patch, Kilmory on 76%. Mark Lawlor on his Guernsey, Hommet to Rouse patch where he has tallied up 73% so far to put him in fourth. John Bowler at Balephuil on Tiree had a good month with the finding of two Red-breasted Flycatchers as well as a Storm Petrel. David Roche also had a cracking month on Papa Westray, picking up Bluethroat, Marsh and Icterine Warbler, Rosefinch, Honey Buzzard and his first visible Quail for the island! All this popped him on 66%, a proper drifty June selection of species there for David! David Parnaby at nearby Fair Isle is still on 45%. 

In the 10km league, Sean Morris is on 83% to again put him on the top spot on the Isle of Rum. Mark Lawlor of Guernsey is in second with 75% scored from 137 points. Steve Dudley is just a couple of percent away from second place on his Westray patch with 73%. John Bowler is in fourth on 65%, his best bird for the 10km Tiree patch is a Mediterranean Gull, still a decent bird up there.

Red-breasted Flycatcher taken by John Bowler

John Bowler is leading with 228 points scored at Balephuil on Tiree, followed by David Roche on Papa Westray on 213. Steve Dudley is in third place having picked up 180 points on Westray. Jodie Henderson at Portland Bird Observatory is in fourth on 158 points. In the 10km league, Hugh Harrop has ran off into the lead with over sixty points between him and second place. His highlights from the South Shetland patch for June are Western and Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Greenish Warbler and Rustic Bunting amongst a host of other goodies. John Bowler is in second on 244 points and Steve Dudley on 223 points in third. 

Bluethroat taken by David Roche

Estuarine: 

A quieter month in this league, with absolutely no change whatsoever for the comparative participants. But...

There was one massive bird recorded on a North Wales Estuarine patch in the form of the Western Reef Heron gracing Jonni Price's RSPB Conwy patch between 17th to 20th June. A fabulous first for Britain to have on your patch, and five points to boot. Nice one Jonni!

Under 25's: 

Here is both the comparative and overall scores for the Under 25's scores, which is just 3km² patches only. Currently two participants neck and neck at the top of this with Lucas and Owen both on 99%, and both on 123 points from their patches.

 

Green: 

Here is the comparative leaderboard for the Top 20 Green 3km² patches, and also the only comparative scores for the 10km radius patches. 

Here are the Top 20 overall green rankings for the 3km² patches and all qualifying 10km radius patches:

Huge thank you for reading, as well as for taking part! Also a huge thank you to those who have posted pictures that we have used. We hope you enjoy the rest of your June Patch Birding! Remember to keep us informed and is possible pictures using the #PWC2026, #PatchBirding or #PatchGold hashtags on Twitter and Bluesky! We try to use as many pictures as possible on our blog. 

We wish you the best of luck! 

The Patchwork Challenge team!