Challenges

Most people set out their resolutions for the new year at about this time - I can't be bothered with resolutions as I know that they will never last beyond the first weekend of the year. Instead, I have been looking for challenges for the year. I have picked two this year, made all the easier by other people having organised them and telling me exactly what I need to do! The first is a simple birding challenge, the Patchwork Challenge. All you need to do is choose an area of less than three square km and record as many species as you can in the calendar year. I kind of do this anyway with our (non)-competitive Wembury year list but I have bent the rules for the Patchwork Challenge, stretching the patch to include the garden to nick a few extra species. Seeing as I don't get too much time to get out on the patch, the garden is one of my prime sources of birds.

Patchwork area (2.663 km squared)

The second is all together more involved. It is the 1000for1ksq challenge. This involves trying to see 1000 species of anything within a 1 km square. I have chosen my home square SX5249.

I am never going to get even close to 1000 species but it is worth a try. I have seen 6 new species today all within 1 km of my house so it can't be too bad! It also forces me to look at groups I might otherwise shy away from!