Patchwork Challenge

It's the end of 2017 and the end of my first Patchwork Challenge. I'll be ending my count with 51 species and 54 points overall, which at the moment has me 53rd out of 60 on the Inland North league and 471 in the national league out of 540, this may change as people finish updating their lists though I don't think by much.

Now compared to most this means my little patch was not the most outstanding (to say the least).........but I knew this when I started (and I love it regardless), it doesn't have a huge variety of habitats and is based around a town. It's lacking in water apart from a tiny stream through Churwell Woods with a dipping pond and so any water based birds I see are usually flyovers with the occasional Heron perching in the neighbours garden (by their pond).

I know i've missed identifying some of the flyovers especially on the walk to work when I'm not carrying binoculars and the birds are just too far off for the naked eye. Plus i've also missed Gulls, there are a lot that fly over the house and I struggle with them stood in front of me at times, never mind in the air! Something to work on there!

On the other hand some of the flyovers I have ID'd brought new birds to the patch - including Cormorant, Pink-footed Geese and an amazing sighting of a Peregrine over the house carrying it's prey!

I've also been able to add other new birds to the patch including Mallard, Nuthatch, Buzzard, and Whitethroat.

One of my highlights though was the Waxwings, only the 2nd time i've seen them on the patch in the 14 years i've been here and this time they stayed around for about 6 weeks, I ended up seeing them nearly every day after panicking I wouldn't see any at all.

Doing the challenge has got me out more, walking the local parks, visiting the woods once or twice a week if I can and I walk to work nearly every day now, which takes me almost from one side of the patch to the other. That in itself is a joy and i've pretty much got the local birds and their movements down now. I've noticed more about the migrant birds, their coming and goings over the year and i'm looking forward to seeing how that differs (if it does) next year.

I've also been submitting lists to Birdtrack, though I joined Birdtrack a while back it's only this year i've started to contribute more regularly, especially with the patch lists thanks to the challenge. I joined the BTO Gardenwatch too, which has me sitting most mornings after I get up with a cuppa and the birds for company.

So despite the low number of species i've thoroughly enjoyed adding to my patch list and getting out and exploring the area more than I have in all the time i've lived here. There have been sightings of Tawney Owl and Woodcock in the woods and just today a Kingfisher by the dipping pond, wouldn't it be good if I could add those next year, bring on 2018!

Happy New Year to all!

Around the Garden

 My garden has been quite a joy recently with one thing or another. It's buzzing with bees on the Lavender and Buddleia. A few self seeded plants have brought in the bees too including this wonderful purple one, I haven't been able find out what it is yet, there's some in a nearby car park so I guess it's come from there.

I left part of the flower bed by the path pretty much to itself and the Ragwort that's now growing there is full of Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars. 

My St John's Wort that appeared last year is almost taking over the Mint planter, but I love how it looks so it's staying. We planted a couple of new Buddleia this year, they're still quite small but in full flower now. The Foxgloves though are now almost flowerless.

I came home on Sunday to find my first ever Small Skipper in the garden, again loving the Lavender, it's an immensely popular plant (we just planted more in the back garden!). There's often Comma's flying around too though they rarely settle for long.

The pond has tiny snails in it now, we still need to do some work around it yet though.

My daughter found this Ruby-tailed Wasp in our hallway, beautiful colours but it was an ex wasp when it was found! I've never seen one before.

Every evening just after dark the Fox comes in the garden and cleans up around the feeder, a Squirrel comes and cleans out the peanuts every now and again and we get one or two Bats flying around the garden at dusk.

The Sparrows are constant visitors still, they love the feeders we've put up by the front door and spend a lot of time in the bird bath. 

Starlings fill the feeders in the back garden along with Collared Doves and Woodpigeons. There's been the odd visits from Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Wren, Magpies, Goldfinch and this past couple of days Blackbird and Dunnock for the first time in a while.

We've also had some amazing sightings, purely down to the fact it's so warm we have the patio doors open and I spend a lot of time stood by them sky watching! Our local Sparrowhawk flew low through the garden right in front of me last week and landed in a distant tree before spooking all the Sparrows that reside in the Conifer at the end of the houses.

Then earlier this week a large flock of Gulls - Herring and Black Headed (that I could pick out) flew in circles over the house, this is not something I see often, usually there's maybe the odd three or four passing by.

A few minutes later I was watching again, another bird flew over - a Bird of Prey but what, I got (bad) photos and checked it out with the bins, it had another bird in it's talons!! I had to check on the ID as I wasn't sure and got confirmation it was a Peregrine Falcon, a first patch tick and an amazing one!! I'm so pleased!

Not long after I watched another pair of Birds of Prey high up in the sky, the smaller one attacking the larger one and from we can tell possibly the Peregrine attacking the Buzzard. 

All that just from the garden!

30 Days Wild 12 & 13 & a Patch Tick

Yesterday I must admit apart from watching the birds on the feeders and the fox in the garden I didn't do much wild. Work is immensely busy right now and I pretty much crashed when I got home.

Today though I made an effort and got out into the woods before work. A Chiffchaff was calling as we walked in and a Blackbird was singing. As we walked down to the pond the Great Tit family were flying all around, the youngsters were into every tree and shrub. A little further along by the stream another family appeared - Blue Tits - around half a dozen possibly more flitting around the trees.

A pair of Bullfinch flew in front of us and I just caught a Thrush before it flew out of sight. Dunnocks were along the path in their usual spot. No sign of the Robins though today. A female Blackcap was caught up in the Great Tit flock as we walked back. We also noticed 3 or 4 Stickleback in the stream, I knew they were in the pond but hadn't seem them there before, there's not a lot of stream for them to swim in!

As we were heading out my husband saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker in one of the trees, of course it flew off the second I got the camera on it! Still it was a new patch tick, I've only seen one on the patch before and that was several years ago.

Great way to end the walk!

Around the Patch

Getting into the habit of a quick walk around part of the Urban Woodlands before work is proving a joy at the moment. I walk to the sounds of Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Goldfinch amongst others.

On sunny days there's a spot on the edge of the woods which catches the early morning rays and is good for butterflies, last week I saw my first Peacock of the year there and there are always Speckled Woods. This particular morning the leaves were covered in all sorts of flys/bugs warming up, they were everywhere you looked.

I spotted a young Robin being well protected by it's parents last week but this morning it was hopping around the path on it's own, picking at bits and pieces and quite unconcerned that I was stood nearby.

I got a brand new patch (not just year) tick after hearing a different song to the usual ones by some brambles it stopped and I walked on, the song started again and up popped a Whitethroat into a nearby tree, it sang there for about 30 seconds and flew off into the woods. I got awful photos as i'd moved a fair ways off but no mistaking the song and the bird! A new bird for the woodlands too I think.

Closer to work I saw my first patch Swallows of the year last week, they nest on a farm nearby. These were followed not long after by the first Swift over my house late evening Friday with two more joining it by Sunday and the familiar screaming began.

The past few evenings we have been watching 2 or 3 Pipestrelle Bats flying low around the garden, watching them from an upstairs window they are eye level and with it barely being dusk there has been some amazing views of them. I tried to get some shots but they are just too quick!

The garden has been a haven for Starling and Sparrows recently, they spend a lot of time in the bird bath or at the feeders. From the constant noise in the nearby trees i'm hoping there will be some young fledgings shortly. The Hedgehog is a regular visitor I don't always see it but there is fresh poop around the feeder most mornings. The foxes, which were waking me up nightly have fallen silent the past few days, which I'm not too mad about!

Yesterday afternoon along with the Swifts, I was serenaded for some time by a Mistle Thrush singing from the top of a nearby tree, perfect accompaniment whilst I caught up with some reading!