2016 Patchwork Review

Owing largely to a bumper spring and autumn, mainly in terms of waders, I managed my best yearly total again in 2016 at Holme Pierrepont. It has got better every year, I think because of more familiarity with the site, coupled with more effort on my part and habitat improvements on certain parts of the site. 2014 saw me getting 106 species on site, whereas 2015 was much better, with 115 seen. This year I ended with a reasonable 128 species, totalling 147 points for the Patchwork Challenge. (EDIT - Actually 129 species/149 points after a re-count!). A good number of scarcer birds gave me a good few '2-pointers' whilst a brace of Temminck's records gave me a nice 3-pointer for the year (alas without the finders' bonus!)

A bonus of regularly visiting the patch means that I've continued to accrue new species for the patch, and I added 18 species I hadn't previously seen on site. Again, more knowledge of the site and more hours spent on patch have really paid off and meant that I can start ticking off some of those scarcer species. A few were even notts ticks for me and there was even one lifer in the shape of a Purple Sandpiper, so its been a good year.

There's plenty still to play for too, as the final tally for the site in 2016 (as far as I can tell) was 155 species, meaning I missed out on 27 species. There were several records of Whooper Swan and Common Scoter, but they eluded me, and other relatively 'easy' species I missed included Wheatear, Garganey, Red Kite, Arctic Tern and Barn Owl, plus a few tougher ones.

Here's a quick round-up of how I did.

January
Species - 67

My best start to a patchwork year, with 67 species seen. Highlights included a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls, a Treecreeper early on (a surprisingly scarce species on site) and a patch-tick in the form of 22 Golden Plover.

February
Species - 73

A bit of a quiet month, which started with me discovering the Starling roost at the old Skylarks reedbed. Quite a spectacle and a popular one too, I was definitely late to this particular party. Only six additions this month, but a very distant speck of a Goosander over the A52 pit on the 19th was nice, my first record in a few winters. Some of the wintering Redshank on site finally gave themselves up to me this month too, as well as the first returning Shelduck.

March
Species - 83

A decent month with 10 additions. Highlights were a trio of patch-firsts. A Curlew on the 12th kicked things off, and the next weekend a Grey Plover decided to stick around all day on blotts pit. Finally the weekend after got me a Stonechat on the fenceline on the neglected East side of my patch. Otherwise some early migrants such as Chiffchaff, Sand Martin and Little Ringed Plover found their way onto the list, as well as some of the other common residents i hadn't previously seen.

April
Species - 103

As expected, the species list shot up in April thanks to a good number of migrants moving through, even with a week away in portugal! The month started well with a couple of scarce locals, Grey partridge and Nuthatch being added, as well as some early migrants. A couple of Lapwing begun nesting on site too, the first breeding waders of the year. After returning from portugal on the 15th, I then proceeded to add a number of waders to the list, notably Whimbrel and Avocet, while passerine activity increased too, including small numbers of Yellow Wagtails (but nothing on the mega passage of 2015). A Cuckoo and Grasshopper warbler provided some interest at the end of the month.

May
Species - 113

10 additions in May, including some good quality birds. 4 Ruff got things going nicely before an influx of Black Terns over the weekend saw over 50 being seen on the A52 pit on the 8th. I got in on the action but only managed to see a few, as I was viewing into the sun with just my bins, making for difficult viewing, but I could certainly appreciate the number of birds involved!
A good week for waders across the county followed, and a rainy day mid-week lured me down in the hope of picking a few bits up, and a personal site-record count of 18 Redshank was made even better by a Turnstone and a summer-plumage knot with them. 2 Temminck's stints proceeded to have a 6-day stay on blotts pit later in the week, before things went a little quiet, with just a few commoner species being picked up throughout. Another Avocet on the 17th (the 5th bird of the year) kept things going.

June
Species - 115

Things just ticked over quietly in June, apart from a couple of additions. A June Black-tailed Godwit was nice - perhaps an early returner, or just a hanger on? who knows? The only other addition was a pair of Black-necked Grebes which only stayed a couple of days. Otherwise, numerous Hobby and Cuckoo sightings kept things interesting. The waders had a tough time, with lapwing and oystercatcher nesting, but all getting bothered by crows, foxes and even nearly getting trampled by territorial swans. Its hard to say whether any fledged, but well grown juveniles of both species were seen. Strangely, no known LRP nested successfully this year.


July
Species - 116

As can be expected, July was reasonably quiet, although wader passage kicked off again, and I missed two decent species, Sanderling and Wood Sandpiper. I recorded up to 5 Black-tailed godwit this month, as well as a few Greenshank, Green Sandpipers, and a few other bits. The only addition was a Red-legged Partridge, heard near the Grange whilst ringing there.

August
Species - 121

Some quality additions this month. I spent the 1st week away in Scotland and missed another Wood Sandpiper, as well as a Knot, both of which stayed a few days. Luckily I got back in time to catch up with a Little Stint that spent a few days on Blott's Pit. The increased footfall on site due to the Stint resulted in more eyes looking for birds, and as a result a Purple Sandpiper was found on the evening of the 16th, a nice lifer for me and one which drew even more birders to the site. On the same morning that was found, Mark Dawson found 5 Sandwich Terns on Blott's, a decent summer record. Luckily, I was working near my house that morning, and checked facebook before leaving the house, so managed to get down in time to see all 5, before seeing 4 fly off a few minutes after arriving. The remaining singleton stayed most of the day.
A good number of other waders provided a supporting cast to all this chaos, including up to 4 Greenshank, several Ruff and Black-wits and many more. It was a great couple of weeks.
I also added Bittern and Tawny Owl this month.

September
Species - 121

No additions this month, which was a shame, and I missed Garganey (despite searching several times) and a brief Spotted Redshank. I didn't spend a great deal of time on the main part of the patch this month, but did plenty of dog-walking over near the watersports centre, allowing me to attempt to see some passerine migrants, but largely failing - other than lots and lots of chiffchaffs! The undoubted highlight of the month however was when I was failing at seeing the Garganey, moaning to myself about a lack of decent birds, when a group of 18 Grey Plover flew in from the west and circled Blott's pit for a few minutes. Probably the highlight of the year for me. A peak count of 14 Little Egret was decent too, though I think there were up to 25 on site at some point.

October
Species - 126

Another visit to Scotland, ringing on the Isle of May, meant less time on patch, and again I struggled to get out regularly apart from walking the dog. I did manage a few new species though, including a Peregrine over the watersports centre while out with the dog. A Slavonian Grebe was found on the A52 pit on the 22nd, though I didn't end up seeing it until the 28th, after missing it a on the 26th (but picking up a Woodcock in the process). I also got a lucky Raven flyover when briefly ticking the Slav on a speedy visit before work one morning. I also managed to grip back a Spotted Redshank, after missing one in September. The only regret is missing a Yellow-browed Warbler early in the month.

November
Species - 128

An addition of a Med Gull in the pre-roost on Blott's pit one Sunday evening was what I thought to be my only addition this month. However in going through my records, it seems I forgot to add Jack Snipe, after one was flushed, along with several Common Snipe, during a work party on Blott's. Otherwise, it was a relatively quiet month, although I mainly spent time on the Watersports Centre side of the patch. Here I had decent Mute Swan counts, peaking at 147, and up to 8 Little Egrets on the Ski-tow along with reasonable numbers of wildfowl. A few wintering Chiffchaffs added some interest too.

December
Species - 129

Another quiet month without any exciting wintery additions, but with only a small number of brief visits. I was away most of xmas so couldn't get down, and a final visit of the year on New Years Eve didn't get me any last minute points. Some interesting sightings included a couple of Dunlin mid-month, more wintering Chiffs and a Common Sandpiper that seems to be wintering around the Ski-tow and Skylarks lake.The only addition was a Yellowhammer, my first on site since I have been properly patching - I used to see them when I was an irregular visitor several years ago, but in the last few years I just don't see them... strange!

So there we go, a decent year, with 129 seen out of roughly 155 species seen on site. I think a little more effort in the last 3 months could have got me a bit more, but life sometimes gets in the way! Looking forward to another decent year on patch, and hopefully i'll finally find something decent of my own.