I’ll be getting my 2016 Patchwork Challenge off to a proper start this weekend so now seems as good a time as any to introduce you all to my patches. And yes I did say patches because this year I have taken the inspired (daft) decision to double up, combining Read more…
With but a few days left in 2015 thoughts predictably turn to those things coming to an end as plans start to form for the coming year. For me this means winding up the latest Patchwork Challenge which has proved to be a record breaker in more ways than one. Read more…
August Bank Holiday was put over almost entirely to the patch this year and would you believe it but, after a barren summer delivering exactly zero new species, we finally hit pay dirt. Given the lateness of its arrival I’ve yet to submit my new score but can happily report Read more…
[Insert generic comment about time flies here]. Right, now that’s out of the way it’s fair to say that July has been a pretty quiet month on the patch all being told. No new species, some good breeding records and still as enjoyable a place to walk as ever. I Read more…
Over a month since my last Patchwork Challenge update is clearly not acceptable but rest assured the patch is still out there and, perhaps more importantly, I’ve continued to make regular visits. The truth is that very little has changed during the intervening weeks and is probably unlikely to do Read more…
Written 10/06/2015 It’s on evenings such as this that I realise quite how lucky I am. Almost as soon as we were back from work it was straight down to the river to see if there were any fledgling Dippers or Grey Wagtails about. No luck on that score but Read more…
Today is officially the first day of summer (that’s why it’s cold, windy and raining) and it also marks the next phase for my Patchwork Challenge. Last week I managed to find my final outstanding spring migrants (those I expect at least) with two calling Cuckoos on Tuesday and a Read more…
Another two weeks on patch and, despite only managing a couple of visits, my recent run of success has continued unabated. Before we get to that though a few updates including the fact that Emma saw no less than four Shelducks flying over the valley early one morning. Quite what Read more…
The big news from patch this week has been that, quite remarkably, I’ve just blasted my way through last year’s score despite it still being early May! One of my main goals for the Patchwork Challenge this time out was to make more regular visits and to gain a fuller Read more…
As promised in my last Patchwork Challenge update we were back out looking for the suspected Whitethroat on Tuesday evening. It didn’t take long to confirm that the snatch of song we’d heard did indeed belong to the bird in question as we picked up a much more sustained outburst Read more…