Going into 2026, I still think some of the most satisfying birding comes from marking out a patch on a map, and then trying to build a lengthy patch life list.
The patch needs to be not too far from home if you're not a regular driver, and it needs to be big enough to have a few different habitats. Water is a must, (unless you're an early riser who can catch early morning flyovers!).
Advantages of inland birding are that most patch lifers will not be scarce nationally, and most will not be too difficult to identify.
Year after year Nick comments that he does not receive enough records of common birds: for example in 2023 he had just 10 of Blackbird, 7 of Magpie, and 22 of Chaffinch. A regular patch watcher is more likely to record common birds, as well as scarcer ones.
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