Patchwork Challenge

Congratulations to Adam Nicholls for winning the comparative with a mighty 145%. A very impressive effort Adam. James Emerson beats Nick Moran to second place with a good December thanks to a Velvet Scoter (patch tick) and Scaup. Nick drops to 3rd despite a Lapland Bunting on patch and a Hawfinch in his garden, a great duo so late in the year and increases our suspicion that Thetford has moved to the coast! Ben Moyes extends his lead in fourth place over Tim Phillips and Jim Bradley as he had a great month with Cattle Egret, White-fronted Geese and Goosander added. It was a good month for White-fronted Geese as Ben Rackstraw, Mike McCarthy and Nige Lound also added them during December. Rob Lucking finished the year at Colkirk with a Kingfisher, a colourful patch tick.  White-fronted Geese were seen throughout the region in December The top 3 didn't change in the points league during December so its congratulations to Ben Lewis as his very impressive year at the Mid Yar...

During November it became apparent that it was going to be a 'Waxwing Year' and I'm sure it had every patcher looking and listening for them on every berry tree. It seems fitting that it was to be Adam Nicholls first tick since July and a full fat patch tick as well. He also added Stonechat but dipped both Velvet Scoter and Brent Goose. With a 22% lead you can't be too greedy....... Nick Moran seems to have secured 2nd place with a dream month, helping ID a Little Bunting, finding Siberian Chiffchaff as well as adding Hawfinch! Has Thetford moved to the coast! All this means that the #beatNick competition has miserably failed (pending the results of a drug test) so rather than dwell on it we will leave Jonny to drink his blues away (although i hear the #PWC2017 hashtag will be #beatenbyNick). Ben Moyes was another Waxwing'er this month and moves ahead of his 106% rivals while Ben Lewis finally passes the 100% mark, mainly thanks to missing 10 species off by mista...

Although Adam Nicholls didn't add a point during October he is still out on top with what looks like an unassailable lead. Nick Moran is now his closest challenger thanks to his first Crossbills in 3 years on patch and a Ring Ouzel. James Emerson also added a Ring Ouzel this month, a cracking record for Whitlingham C.P. Ben Moyes probably had the best month out of everyone as his patch in the Gipping Valley played host to a Black-bellied Dipper and Great White Egret. His place in 4th is well and truly up for grabs though with a mere 0.66% seperating him and Jim Bradley in 6th! No changes at the top in the points league as everyone finds it hard to add points late in the year so its looking good for Ben Lewis to finish on top this year, or will Luke or Jamie have a great final winter period? The highlight of month has to be the influx of Yellow-browed Warblers into the inland patches. It must be a bird on all inland patchers radar but it still must be a buzz to see one away f...

Again no further progress from Adam Nicholls but with a score of 136% does that matter? He remains top by 23% ahead of James Emerson who also added naught. Nick Moran broke the mold and his 6% draws him close to second place. Nick found a rather fine inland Yellow-browed Warbler as well as adding Raven and Tree Pipit, both of which are excellent for his patch. Yellow-browed Warbler by Neil Calbrade at BTO towers giving Nick Moran 6 points. Ben Lewis adds 10 points to extend his lead at the top to 23. This month he added Glossy Ibis and got in on the Yellow-browed Warbler finding at Mid-Yare RSPB. Luke Wake at Fen Drayton remained in second but failed to make any further additions. Jamie Wells in third position added just a brace this time out for Little Stint. Other highlights this month include a Pectoral Sandpiper found by Ben Rackstraw at Wretton. Stephen McAvoy also managed to see Nick's Yellow-brow and Raven combo. Things were thinner on the ground away from here ...

Adam Nicholls remains on 136% at Thorpe St Andrew and there is also no movement from James Emerson at Whitlingham in second position. Nick Moran clings on to third place in the comparative league with 106.8%, just 0.65% ahead of Tim Phillips. Nick adds Redstart, Yellow Wagtail and Whinchat this month whilst also having a close encounter with a juvenile Goshawk. Jim Bradley becomes the fifth person in Inland East Anglia to pass the 100% mark. The first Little Stint in the Gipping Valley in 40 years - Ben Moyes Ben Lewis remains at the top of the points league despite failing to advance his score. The chasing pack close in but not by much as Luke Wake at Fen Drayton adds 2 points to climb to 175 and perennial rival James Wells moves to 172 at Paxton Pits. Luke's best addition was a Green Sandpiper whilst Jamie claimed the bonus points for finding a Great White Egret as well as adding Spoonbill and Shag. Darren Oakley-Martin who patches Willington GPs added a selection of...

Adam Nicholls' fantastic year at Thorpe St Andrew continues as he marches on to 136% adding Little Egret this month. James Emerson remains in second position despite no new species in July. Nick Moran displaces Tim Phillips from the podium by adding Black-tailed Godwit and Nightjar.  Black-tailed Godwit - Nick Moran Ben Lewis adds 24 points in June and July including Savi's Warbler and Bee-eater within 30 minutes and 11 Garganey. A single point addition sees Luke Wake slide from leader to trailing by 15 points. Jamie Wells makes no additions to remain third. The only decent find was a Red-veined Darter for Stuart Reeves at Mutford.

Adam Nicholls lead has been cut to 11% as he had a blank month in June with James Emerson still his closest challenger. June was a good month for Tim Phillips as he added 13% and jumped 4 places into 3rd spot. Nick Moran had a good month and holds on to 4th after finding a Honey-buzzard and twitching a Glossy Ibis at Thetford. The other side of the #beatnick challenge didn't go so well as Jonny Rankin managed a miserly zero points! There's always autumn Jonny...... Glossy Ibis, Nunnery Lakes c/o Nick Moran There isn't much movement in the points league as the top four remain the same and Nige Lound (thanks to a Caspian Tern) swaps 4th and 5th with Nick Moran. Great White Egrets made a few more appearances as Pete Antrobus and Luke Wake added it to their lists while the other bird of note in the month was a Montagu's Harrier for Derek Gruar, found on the way to the dentist! No pain no gain! The mid-table of the league is incredibly tight with 12 points sepa...

Adam Nicholls continues to lead the way with an impressive 124% thanks in no part to doing his chores as he added Cuckoo while putting the bins out! Do your chores people! James Emerson managed to get in on the inland Black Tern invasion with 3 at Whitlingham as well as his first patch tick of the year, Whimbrel! Steve Chapman ousts Nick Moran out of the top 3 as he approaches 100%. Mike McCarthy and David Gomer are the big movers of the month but with only 10% separating 3rd and 9th there is all to play for as we go into the summer. Common Crane Four points seperate the top 3 as Luke Wake takes advantage of a blank month for Ben Lewis, adding Black Tern and Whimbrel. Jamie Wells had a good month adding 19 points. Much like the Coastal East Anglia highlights were thin on the ground but there was a common theme as Cranes, Garganey and Turtle Doves made it onto multiple lists while Joe Harkness and Irene Boston had the pleasure of watching Nightjars on their patch. G...

April was obviously a good month for the Norwich area as both Adam Nicholls and James Emerson break the 100% and take the top 2 spots, Adam helped by several patch ticks including Common Sandpiper and Grasshopper Warbler. Nick Moran remains in third place after another good month with 2nd patch records of Iceland Gull and Sandwich Tern, both excellent inland records. The other big mover of the month was Jim Bradley as he finally picked up a Crane at Surlingham. The Nunneries Sandwich Tern! The points league also has a new leader as Ben Lewis, thanks to a Firecrest (2nd patch record!), Green-winged Teal and many migrants, leaps from 4th to first. Luke Wake drops to second place despite adding 28 points during the month. Jamie Wells and his big hitting Paxton Pits patch moves into the top three as April gave him an unexpected seabird, an Arctic Skua. Many patchers managed to find some patch ticks throughout the month, Rob Pople managed to find a Cetti's Warbler at Milton ...

Tim Phillips bagged his first ever two pointer when a Red Kite sailed across his patch and this double pointer sees him past Adam Nicholls into top spot at the end of the first quarter. Nick Moran's first patch Shag since 2005 ensured that he bagged third place at the end of the first quarter. Shag at Thetford - March 2016 (photo c/o Nick Moran)     In the points league, Luke Wake's good year at Fen Drayton continued in fine style with Black-Necked Grebe the highlight. Nick Moran at Thetford goes one place higher than the comparative league in second whilst Ben Rackstraw is enjoying life on his new patch adding Bewick's Swan and Cetti's Warbler in March leaving him just shy of 100 species, a barrier which will surely fall in April.    The delay in spring arrivals shows in the monthly highlights with just a handful of migrants bucking the trend of a continuing winter picture. Classic early species such as Gargane...

A big change round in February as Steve Chapman, January's leader slips to 6th spot. Adam Nicholls of Thorpe St Andrew climbs to 78% moving up from second place last month. His highlights are Firecrest and Medtierranean Gull this month. Great birds on a relatively low scoring patch. Tim Phillips at Hethersett is in second place on 72% moves up from 4th to second is a reflection of hard work, illustrated by his 30 complete lists. #BeatNick takes a knock this month as Nick Moran finds himself in third spot in the comparative league on 70%. Highlights at Thetford in February included Golden Plover, Goldeneye, Woodlark and a wintering Blackcap. Ben Rackstraw's incredible find on his first visit to patch. Ben Lewis holds on at the top of the points league despite no news for February. Luke Wake at Fen Drayton closes the gap to 1% with Iceland Gull a great February boost. Nick M takes third place and alongside his great score he has also added 57 birdtrack lists and over 2...

Steve Chapman has one of the less heralded patches in PWC and Sparham Pools can sometimes get lost amongst the higher scorers but over the last couple of years Steve has patched away and it is great to see him at the top of the comparative tree on 67.5%. At Thorpe St Andrew, Adam Nicholls has also managed to connect with plenty of species on a low scoring patch with a score of 63.6%. His January Shoveler was his highlight and hopefully he pushes on past the 100% mark when the spring migrants come in. Nick Robinson is in third place. Last year Nick led the comparative minileague from the get go only to be pipped at the post. It looks like he will be in the mix again but can he improve on his final position? His January highlight was a Brent Goose which in Norwich is a very decent bird. There are plenty of familiar names near the top of the points minileague and none more familiar than Ben Lewis. He leads on 108% and so far has managed Siberian Chiffchaff and Water Pipit amongst tha...

No change for the top three with Ben Moyes remaining seated in first position with 120 species and 136 points giving him a whopping 130.769% and a 15% lead over second place. Fantastic effort, Ben!  Sadly, for Alison Allen at Thorpe-next-Haddiscoe, the 100% was just out of reach. However, with only 3% off the target, it was still a grand effort and with a new year and birds ahead, it's all to play for again! While the top three all added species and points this month, the final standing is still unchanged as Jamie Wells who despite finding a Great White Egret didn't the manage the extra points needed to claim first place.  Bagging a further sixteen points and leading the table by a respectable eleven points, Ben Lewis and his Mid Yare RSPB patch finished the year firmly in the lead with Snow Goose and Siberian Chiffchaff the best bits of December. Making a final mad dash up the leader board was Tabby P at North Potter Heigham who rocketed up to fifth with an impressive 2...

The dizzy heights of 130 species/155 points, back 2013, were already a distant memory by the time I hit the wall on 124 spp/139 pts in 2014. However, having a more ‘normal’ year – minus any 6-pointers and missing the likes of Common Crossbill and Marsh Harrier – did at least reduce my comparative score to an altogether more realistic 147. All I had to do was pot all the reds and screw back for the yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black… OK enough ropey snooker songs from the 80s; what did #PWC2015 bring to the Thetford area?   JANUARY 87 species | 94 points (63.95%) | 2 nd in Points table 2,070 BirdTrack records | 47 Complete Lists It took me until 22 nd March to reach 87 species|94 points in 2014. Even in the year-to-beat, 2013, that total wasn’t achieved until 6 th March! 2014 began at my folks’ in York (handy for a quick dash for the Fraisthorpe Little Bustard on New Year’s Day!) and I didn’t get out on patch until 3 rd January. That didn’t seem to mat...

The comparative league remains static at the top with the Ben Moyes at the head of the table with Nick Robinson in second and Ben Rackstraw is in third despite not a point added between the three. Steve Swinney is the latest addition to the 100% club thanks to a windblown Razorbill at Linford and leapfrogs Nick Moran in the meantime. Mike McCarthy drops down as we correct a maths error and he returns to 87.7%. As with the comparative table the points minileague is quiet at the top end as Ben and Jamie are stuck in a slow race to the win. Throwing a potential spanner in the works is Steve Swinney whose 5 points in november almost put him in striking range as bridges the gap. Is 12 points too many? Ashley McElwee resisted the off-patch lure of Little Auks to bag a self-found Great Grey Shrike amongst a 10 point day. There were no other significant additions this month although a couple of scoreless finds were notable with a Caspian Gull for Nick Moran at BTO HQ and a Lesser Spotted ...

A further four species added to Ben Moyes Mid-North Gripping Valley patch sees him remain at the top of the comparative minileague. At UEA, Nick Robinson holds on to 2nd place without any further additions this month, however, with Ben Rackstraw gaining another three species for Downham Market and moving into 3rd place and Mike McCarthy at Taverham & Ringland not far behind, he may have some competition for the 2nd tier soon. Steve Swinney massively advanced his score for October as he jumped from 13th to 7th position with an impressive twenty-nine species ticked at Linford Birding. If he carries on in this way, he'll soon break the 100% barrier! In addition, this month also saw Ben Lewis rise up the comparative ranks with a further fourteen species seen at his Mid Yare RSPB patch, earning him 12th position and leaving him 17% from the coveted patch score. Finally, Nick Moran hit the 100% mark this month with the addition of Cetti's Warlber at Thetfor...