Patchwork Challenge

So far, (at the time of collating the scores, which was a few days ago) we've had 73 folk in total inputting there scores using the form on the right there. This is brilliant - it proves it works, for starters, and it shows that the message is getting out there on how we want folk to get their numbers in to us.  Before I get my charts out, I'd like to say a massive thanks to everyone who's contributed a score so far. You can input your score whenever you want - ideally at the very least once a month, but if you want you can input a new score after every trip out. We'll have a much better idea of the state of play at the end of January when hopefully we will have scores in from everyone, but in the meantime, for those who have sent in scores already, here is how you are faring compared to the competition... So, what do the numbers tell us? First up, we have the top tens for both the number of species seen and the number of points scored: But, thats not wh...

Introducing Kinneil v Skinflats. Everyone has surely heard of Kinneil and Skinflats, probably the Upper Forth's premier birding spots. Situated either site of the picturesque Grangemouth oil refinery, the two sites are on the upper part of the Forth Estuary. The estuary is still tidal up here, but we are way from the east coast. Both sites have 1 or 2 lagoons (Kinneil has 1, Skinflats has 2), surrounded by farmland and small amounts of woodland. Skinflats has the advantage of having more of a reedbed and a good patch of saltmarsh; Kinneil has the advantage of being slightly further the coast and tends to be better for September 'sea' watching. For the Patchwork Challenge, I have taken on Kinneil and Graeme Garner has taken on Skinflats. This follows on from a challenge between us in 2012 to year list the Upper Forth region, which I won but by only one species. Up till now in 2013, I had been focussing on my other patch (around Dunblane, where I live), and GG had been ...

First Patching Entry June the 4th 2012 was the first time I started recording my visits to my patch, Walthamstow Marsh, Leyton Marsh, Waterworks Nature Reserve, Middlesex Filterbeds, Old River Lee and Wick Community Woodland. I have already made my last patch visit of 2012, so it's time to choose my top 5 patch birds of the year. I've chosen them based on the enjoyable experiences I had when I was observing them. #5  Swifts A Scream of Swifts. As my favourite bird, I'm pretty sure they'll feature amongst my favourite patch experiences every year. This year, I spent many times at the patch, marveling at the squadrons of swifts, acrobatically zooming and screaming in the skies.  #4 Stonechat Stonechat I saw this little guy and his lady on two visits, in the Bomb Crater Pond, dashing and bobbing like nobodies business among the reeds. The nature of a Stonechat is that it's always on the move and it took me quite a while to id it, wh...

We knew there'd be some good birds found by patchworkers during this competition but we didn't think it would be this soon! Yvonne and Ian, who both patch Askernish on South Uist, take over.... Ian's version is:- "While ringing today in the walled garden, I noticed a large flock of birds in the distance heading towards me from the machair. As they drew nearer I could see that they were rock doves – in a hurry. It soon became obvious that one of their number was being chased by a large white raptor – a gyr falcon. As they all approached, this particular individual and its pursuer headed for the garden only to weave in and around the nets, missing them of course! The gyr gave up soon after and went to rest on a nearby house where it stayed for some 20 minutes before the home-owner returned in her car when it flew off North." Yvonne's version is:- "Today started off pretty well, the forecast was not too much wind (i.e. it would be less th...

  Hi everyone,  I have two patches. I am a dual patcher. A bi-patchual. I know there are others out there – but I wanted to be the first to post on here – to show you its ok. You are not alone. Its not greedy and its not wrong.   Both my patches are in Suffolk, the first; Livermere is near my Bury St Edmunds home and the second is around my town of work; Needham Market.  Livermere you may have heard of. Its hallowed ground and has an impressive track record. You can read all about it on my blog (  http:// necrosadisticapathynullificati on.blogspot.co.uk/p/livermere- or-die.html ). Needham Market doesn’t have the same track record! But over the last few years myself and other birders have amassed some good birds; with Ferruginous Duck, Honey Buzzard, White Stork, Woodchat Shrike and others all discovered through constant coverage.  As I type I have done my first visits of the year to each patch, Livermere stands on 41 species w...

Bardsey Island is a small island (about two by one km) off the Lleyn Peninisula in North Wales. It is an excellent patch, turning up many scarcities and rarities, as well as large numbers of common migrants. The island's list stands on 326, after the recent addition of Citrine Wagtail in October.  I moved here five years ago with my parents and sister to farm the island, and developed a very keen interest in birding and photography. In 2013, I will be birding the island on my own up until March, when Steve Stansfield (the warden of Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory) returns with his family and assistant warden Mark Carter will also return. I still have A-level school to work away at, and so will not see all of the scarcities and rarities that turn up! So, back to the species: Among Bardsey's rarer visitros are the first Summer Tanager and Yellow Warbler to have been seen in Britain and Ireland; other American visitors include American Bittern, Sora, K...

Morgan's Hill, North Wessex Downs - Nick Self The morning of 3rd January 2013 dawned to reveal Morgan's Hill resplendent in the glory of murk, low cloud and light rain. It was not what I had been hoping for, but I was fairly certain that this was what I was going to get. Most winter days on the Downs are like this. Everyone knows that birding on the Downs during winter is hit and miss, however, I wasn't going to let a little light murk put pay to proceedings. Off I went to explore my favourite nooks and crannies, confident that I could turn up some good birds despite the weather. This year I will be concentrating on the farmland bird '10 most wanted' (as I do every year); grey partridge; lapwing; tree sparrow; corn bunting; yellowhammer; linnet; turtle dove; yellow wagtail; skylark and reed bunting. To be honest I'm not worried about finding rare birds and I've never, ever, been twitching. I rarely go birding outside of Wiltshire and that's the way I...

Well, perhaps thats dramatising things a little. But if you look at the green stripe just below Ryans atmospheric Hemsby picture (it looks rare there, doesnt it!) you may notice a couple of new pages. Here you will (hopefully!) find your name among those you will be competing with. If you have a comparative score then that's the page you'll be on....and if you dont, it wont. There are a few incomplete lines that may well be down to my incompetence, but might also be a result of some little bits of data lacking from our spreadsheets. If you see anything that needs to be changed drop us a line at Patchworkchallenge@gmail.com Also, if you have told us about your blogs or websites we have linked them to your name, all you have to do is click on it.

Hidden away down in County Cork in south-west Ireland, Galley Head is a grand spot altogether! Its not as blitzing as Cape Clear or Mizen Head can be, which is good because it means that Galley is rarely overrun with other birders, but it gets enough stuff to always keep me guessing.  Typically, I’d expect to see just under 140 species in a year, but 2012 has been exceptional for whatever reason, with a mighty 149 species seen so far.  I’m quietly confident that this sterling effort will win me the coveted Golden Mallard in the original Patch Challenge   I’ve been working Galley since 2003, and the area that I cover is just about 2 km 2 in area.  It’s a coastal headland, with a mixture of dairy and arable farmland that is thankfully not particularly intensively farmed, with gardens and a bit of woodland. Galley Head is probably most famous for seawatching between July and October, with some very large numbers of goodies like Great and Cor...

Pennyghael, Mull – Bryan Rains     Doing the patchwork challenge adds a bit more interest to the local birding     and hopefully I can dig out the odd rarity here and there. The patch is just a     stretch of road from the house but it covers the area in the photo above. Mull     is certainly under-watched and most of the rares tend to hit the other islands     but it does turn up the odd surprise now and again.     The annual count is a marathon and not a sprint so I started the year the easy     way by picking up a Barn Owl at 01:30! An odd mix of birds through the rest     of the day were, in order of seeing, Chaffinch, Raven, Blackbird, Robin, Blue     Tit, Hen Harrier, Hooded Crow, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush, Kestrel, Golden     Eagle, Redwing and a Tawny Owl at 22:30. So, 14 species on the first day     and 16 species on t...