2019 challenge..

The Pond ( in the Pond Field)

In previous years my blogging buddy Steve Gale and I have had some casual patch listing challenges. I cant remember the scores ( so that probably means it wasn't too good for me) but we quite enjoyed the comparisons between the inland suburban patch to the south and the rural east coast patch in the north.

Our respective patches are 290 miles apart in a straight line, as the crow flies, and are very different in habitat make up, but this is what makes things interesting.

I have worked out some basic statistics for my Howick Patch -

Total List 205
My Howick List 200

The list can be drilled down to -

Common Species seen in at least 7 of the last 9 years - 128
Irregular seen in 5 or 6 years -  22
Scarce seen in 3 or 4 years- 18
Rare seen only in 1 or 2 years - 37.

Average Year List over 9 years - 143 sp

I will be keeping the boundary as in the image in my side bar on the right, but in reality there are bits of it I never look at. My main watched area is -

The combined area of the patch is exactly 3 sq km, but the small  area watched is just under 1 km. I watch this area more intensively due to dog walks and general speed of access. These spots can all be looked at if I have half an hour to spare, but the whole extended site is easily accessible on foot from home.

I am looking farward to it already....See North Downs and Beyond for Steve's zone....

To give a flavour of the ornithological delights awaiting, I have been off work today and have checked most of the small area above ...

0700, Out with Peggy in the half light of dawn.
Newly arrived on the coast path were 6 Blackbirds, 2 Redwings, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Goldcrest and a Brambling. 60 Pink footed Geese flew S.

0930 - The Rumbling Kern / Bathing House. A stand around for half an hour with the scope had -
Shag 1 colour ringed white letters on green but unable to read it. 6 Purple Sandpiper, 3 Lapwing, 20+ Oystercatcher, 60+ Curlew, 3+ Redshank, 5 Red throated Diver S and 1 on the sea, 1 Rock Pipit, 3 female Velvet Scoter were unexpected and are rarely seen sitting on the sea here, most being fly by on seawatches, Gullemot and Razorbill maybe 10 of each scattered, 2 Stonechat, 1 Goldcrest, 6 Turnstone, 2 Kittiwake S, 1 Common Scoter S, 25 Golden Plover S, 5 Meadow Pipits, 3 Skylarks S and a Harbour Porpoise offshore.

Lunchtime, out with Peggy in the Village Wood and Pond Field.
1 Woodcock flushed, 1 Buzzard, 2+ Brambling, 15+ Chaffinch, 40+ Goldfinch, 6+ Siskin, 25+ Redwing, 4 Fieldfare, 21+ Mallard, 8 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, 2 Mute Swan, 6 Moorhen and 2 Roe Deer.

And finally at our feeders all day -
33 Tree Sparrow, 9 House Sparrow, 12+ Goldfinch, 4 Coal Tit, 2 Great spotted Woodpecker. 1 female Sparrowhawk.