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

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".

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!

Scream for me Stevie G

In scenes reminiscent of Steve Gantlett spotting one from the boat as we arrived at Fair Isle, Royzah netted a fine black guillemot (or tystie if we're being nordic) off Donmouth yesterday.

The news was proclaimed via a popular social media app thusly "TYSTIE! Fuckah!" and puts him firmly in 1st place in the Golden Mallard stakes, with just five days of the 2016 competition remaining.

Basil Faulty was left reeling after hearing the news and apart from saying "Bollocks" was unavailable for comment.

royzah is just short

A busy weekend of drinking for everyone's favourite dead tap-dancer was interspersed with kwality year ticks. Bullfinch was the best of it, and following consultation with several eminent fellow contestants he's retro-yearticking that thayer's/kumlien's  yoke that was knocking about Donmouth back in the winter. So now just half a waxwing short of top spot - major stringing reqd!!

Scraping the barrel

It has been a pretty dead year on Boghall this year. Snipe recently brought the total to 75 or a very respectable / average 101.8%. Ya bas - that takes second place !!! I might start trying now for the final few days of the year.

Highlights included a recent trip to Burma but none of that counts. White-browed nuthatch, Burmese tit, Burmese lark, Victoria Babax, but it is all as nothing for this challenge.

So good, but not even a year tick...

Back on patch for a week before away for work, again.

Autumn migration is not over, although it more or less is for me. A few birds added to the year list brings me closer to the 100%, but not sure I will be able to find the two more species needed to break through. Seems the effort of last year - my first experience with the new patch - has been very similar to this year.

One of the species that was such a mind-fecker when I first found it on patch is now proving to be a regular migrant, certainly commoner than, grey heron. Still a mind-fecker. Nice to have hooded pitta a short walk away...

Maybe if I spent a whole year in Singapore instead of being away for six months I would do better. At least I would hope so...