My 2015 Highlights: A taste for patching

Whilst working in Banbury for the past couple of years, I've been paying regular visits to Grimsbury Reservoir, on the edge of town. During 2015, these regular visits have grown into full-on, mildly obsessive patching, together with local birder Gareth Blockley.

This has been the first time I've patched somewhere constantly for a long period of time. It's been highly addictive, great fun and only improved my birding. The year has also shown that no matter how unassuming a site can seem, if you put the hours in, you will find some great stuff!

As a patch it's ideal. You can do a quick circuit of the site in under an hour, ideal for a swift look round in your lunch break for example. It also has a wide range of habitat, with the main concrete-sided reservoir, the river along it's eastern edge, a small wood at the northern end, plenty of scrub, a large cattle field & several hedgerows.

The one problem there is at Grimsbury is the disturbance. The site is very popular with dog walkers, joggers, fishermen & sailing. So you really need patience and the luck to be in the right place at the right time. On the whole, things just don't tend to stick around for too long unfortunately! 

There have been many highlights for me, including 2 separate Kittiwakes, a migrating Osprey, juvenile Brent Goose, Black Redstart, Siberian Chiffchaff, a total of 6 Black Tern (including a flock of 5 birds), Arctic Tern, migrant Redstarts, Whinchats & Wheatears, Stonechat, Mediterranean Gull, Greenshank, Black Tailed Godwit as well as regular Willow Tit & Peregrine...to name but a few!

The nearby Upper Cherwell Valley & Borrow Pit Pool by the M40 have also unearthed some great local records including a lovely autumn Wood Sandpiper, a fly-through Marsh Harrier seen by Gareth, a couple of lingering Tree Pipits & 3 long-staying Whinchat.

I have to say, one of the beauties of patching is the excitement you get out of seeing even the most familiar species. Catching up with a Mistle Thrush this year was a real challenge and it was a great moment of relief & ecstasy when I did finally see one in late September!!

To date, I'm still missing species such as Pheasant, Yellowhammer & Red Kite, species locally that are pretty routine fare but for Grimsbury, infrequent. That's the draw and excitement of patching, you just never know what you will & won't see!

Patching can also unearth other unexpected surprises. The reservoir tends to have a regular bunch of loafing Black Headed Gulls. Gareth has recently picked out several colour-ringed birds, providing some real interest. Of particular note was an individual from Lithuania, as well the bird below, (VK40) originally ringed as a chick on the island of Hirsholm, off the east coast of Denmark, some 973km away! I managed to catch up with it on 23/11.   

The collective 2015 patch list stands at an impressive 126 species. With 9 days of the year to go, the chances of reaching 130 are slim, however what will 2016 bring? I'm very looking forward to finding out!