A surge in motivation saw me make two evening visits out onto patch last week, both delivering my first new species there for at least a couple of months. Heading out on Monday conditions were very hazy but with the sun still managing to break through and humidity levels high Read more…
A quick glance at this years Patchwork Challenge comparative league table shows me sitting in a rather respectable fourth place amongst the Welsh contingent. Now that’s doubly impressive considering I’ve failed to submit my scores for the last two months and just goes to show what a stellar start to Read more…
It seems wrong to start the weekend with this blog headed by two articles on creatures which have sadly passed, so how about a male Pochard to remind us that there is still plenty of the living out there to see. This accommodating individual kept us company during an hours Read more…
Despite a valiant effort this month I have so far failed to add to my Patchwork Challenge tally. Inclement weather has undoubtedly played its part with patch observations limited to the garden alone. One upside to this has been an increase in sightings for our sporadic flock of Long Tailed Read more…
We set the alarms ready for a pre-dawn start on Saturday as a show of just how seriously I will be taking the Patchwork Challenge this year. Never before have I been out on the patch at such an early hour and I was hoping that this novel (for me Read more…
It’s been a very grey and dreary day here but at least the rain has held off giving me the perfect opportunity to catch up with events out on patch. It’s fair to say that my Patchwork Challenge list has stalled somewhat having taken the last couple of months off, Read more…
On Saturday afternoon I headed out onto patch and managed to complete my largest circuit for some time. Starting at Goppa Hill there was once again a complete lack of Whitethroats but singles of Buzzard and Red Kite, quickly followed by super close views of two Sparrowhawks, more than made Read more…
When I said last week that the next few months would be very interesting on patch, little did I realise quite how soon those words would come to fruition. In the end it only took until Friday evening when a loud but unfamiliar call interrupted my exploration of Cefn Drum’s Read more…
Five days and three new species nicely sums up the latest developments on patch. The first came on Monday evening with two Bullfinches along the wooded section of Birch Rock tramway, a nice find and the final ‘common’ bird that I considered lacking from this years list. From here on Read more…
I wouldn’t consider myself completely addicted to patch birding quite yet, but by the end of this years Patchwork Challenge that could be a real possibility. As it was I headed straight from Bracelet Bay on Saturday to the windswept grasslands of Cefn Drum to see if I could locate Read more…