Warming up nicely at both ends!

Yes indeedy, as the 2024 patch challenge nears the December endgame, there have been developments at both ends of the leaderboard and nothing is set in stone with a little over a month to go.

Basil continues to stand out by his gate, trying desperately to thumb a list down to Squince. But I'd have to be totally stupid to fall for his sob stories again, after the last time.

Reg managed to leapfrog into 2nd place, while Bushveld has come from seemingly nowhere, with no prospects straight into 3rd place with some frankly outrageous stories of having been seawatching. As if!

Luckily tho, he reckoned without the power of the Majik Patio (tm), which produced the all-important goods for me on me birthday (thurs), in the form of a fine female goldeneye, which appeared to disappear shortly after I'd nailed it. Lucky! This pushes me through the near-mythical 100% barrier, whole also keeps me just ahead of Bushveld, and even better, restores me to third place and him in fourth - huzzah!

The biggest mover and shaker of the week has been Shakey, who was also moved to try a Storm Bert-related seawatch yesterday, and who managed to claim a frankly outrageous SIX (count 'em) year ticks - leach's petrel, sooty shearwater, red-necked grebe, great northern diver, long-tailed duck and a goldeneye, which was probly my bird from thurs. This has pushed him ahead of the proclaimers who now take up the lantern rouge and the wooden spoon and who have admitted in a quote yesterday that "it's been a poor year here, despite effort". A bit vague on precisely how much effort has been expended tho hey?

STOP PRESS - some last minute news from Royzah who has just had a collared dove in his garden, which is seemingly patch gold round his way. Not only that, Royzah then managed to tapdance his merry but slightly hungover way along the Donmouth boardwalk just in time to connect with 3 (count 'em) little auks and a little gull, so he's moving up the scoreboard too, but probably not sufficiently to trouble Mr Nimmo of Wanstead who is still happily ensconsed in mid-table mediocrity.

All to play for then - I'd best go for a seawatch...

***Post-Seawatch Update***

A fine leach's petrel heading slowly east off Galley late morning - only my 3rd wan evah off Galley, after 2 on a seawatch in Sept 2022. Moves me back into second spot just ahead of Reg but for how long???