Monday 23 January 2017

Dodgy Bustard wins Old Snowy!

Yes indeedy, in the quietest and least controversial votes in years (mainly cos me & Basil forgot about it until it was too late) Shakey's ridiculous & unverified claim of a fly-by Great Bustard "in off" at Samphire Hoe has won the much coveted Old Snowy trophy for the Best Patch Find 2016.

Here are the final results:

the poll result yesterday
Yes indeedy, only nine votes were cast, which is less than the number of birders that even do the poxy patch challenge! Obviously Basil's lack of canvassing is to blame.

Sadly the result means I'll have to patch up and pack up Old Snowy for the long trip to Kent. Any day now I'd say, honest.

Several careless owners! FFS!

Thursday 12 January 2017

Bronzed off

Third last year. Will we ever win the challenge? No is the clear answer, all things considered but off we go again in 2017. A few excursions around the patch have resulted in a flurry of standard fair. but it's good to get grey wagtail early in the year. We've also been enjoying the roost of c 2000 jackdaws and rooks that occurs each night just off the patch. That count is approximately 1900 more than the number of people who bought our last album.
39 or 53.9%

Monday 9 January 2017

2016 Final scores

Just so they don't get lost in the mists of time, specially if Basil starts talking p*sh about how narrowly he lost by again, here are the full 2016 final declared patch scores....

Some scores, yesterday
I guess I really should have edited out Nimmo's score for 2015 prior to posting - he's bound to start reminiscing and waxing lyrical about his finest hour etc etc blah waffle drone...

Wednesday 4 January 2017

2016 champion gets straight back out there

Yes indeedy, a missive from Royzah concerning his New Year's mission to retain the Golden Mallard was received this very am - he's banged in 59 species already for a whopping 43.7% score. This includes such patch crackers as Bullfinch apparently. Oooooooof!

I've been slightly less enthusiastic, limiting myself to a one wee toot off the patio of a morning, but I've already had two (count 'em) unseasonal shelduck and, even better, three (count 'em again) whopper shwans in off, as it were.

Tuesday 3 January 2017

Off to a solid start

After last years pitiful performance; ending the year most definitely in the relegation zone and, after the most awesome autumn for years, no patch rares.  I think it's about time I did something about it.

This is my fourth year with the patch and so now have an adjusted target based on a full three years of data.  So I start 2017 full of enthusiasm and predict Longhaven winning the double!!!

Better still... started 2017 with two full fat patch ticks! a couple of turnstone grovelling around the base of the cliffs and a fine 1st year glauc gliding by.  Awesome.

With 42 species and 39.25% off to a solid start.

Happy days and good patch listing everyone.

Bushveld


Monday 2 January 2017

Cockfest gets New Year off to a flying start

First thing's first... congrats to Royzah on his epic 0.5% victory for 2016. Here's hoping there's room for the vaunted mallard on the mantlepiece amongst the trumpets and horns. If past form is anything to go by it should reach him sometime around mid September.

And so to 2017. A couple of sunny days kicked off proceedings, and I managed to somehow dodge Cybil's insistence on "family time" and sneak off around the patch, bagging a whopping 50 species. Highlights included 3 (count 'em) woodcock this morning, and a lingering mute schwan in the cow field behind the lake (always good to bang one in early, as they say).

So in real money that's me on 57.47% for the year. Good enough for starters -- although it is a tad worrying how quickly things move from "everything counts again" to "fuck all new about".

Sunday 1 January 2017

Royzah emerges victorious...

Yes indeedy, after a truly epic battle, Big Royzah has finally won the Golden Mallard challenge, although obviously it could take some time for it to arrive all the way from Wanstead. He should have it by next week though, provided Nimmo gets his finger out.

It was heartening to watch Basil Faulty go to pieces as he let the mallard slip through his hapless fingers for the second year in a row - what a patch!

Still, I'm sure he'll bounce back - he's probably claiming the 2017 lead already!