2017 - what was got and what was not...

Well, the aim at the start of 2017 was to avoid the relegation zone and hopefully not end up in mid-table mediocracy.  I had dreams of finishing in a podium position and fantasies of actually winning the mythical mallard, but alas all to no avail.  The Procs late discovery of a telescope put an end to that, not helped by work effectively stopping me from hitting the patch for the whole of December.

So a summary of 2017... what was got.

There was an impressive 8 full fat patch ticks this last year.   There was, of course, that swift, back in early July but that only counts as one, as did the following seven new birds for the patch...

Mute swan
Scaup
Moorhen
Common sand'
Turnstone
Glauc
Icterine warbler


But what was missed, what stopped me from getting my mits on that mallard (aside from a quite ridiculous total by the Procs) .  Well, I managed to avoid lesser black backed gull (which is annual, but only just), I also somehow missed getting a coal tit or a barnacle goose, both of which is daft.  A general lack of migrants on the patch meant that I missed lesser whitethroat for the first year ever along with both spot and pied fly's.  And really, I should do more seawtaching for which there is no excuse.

But even if I'd got all the expected regulars and irregulars, could I have won.  Nope, not a chance, would have needed another 20 species, which just wasn't going to happen.

So here we are, at the start of another year and another challenge.  Only need 104 species to get a 100%, so should be easy and I'm nearly a quarter of the way there already.

Happy days and happy patch listing in 2018.

Bushveld