NGB Minileague - August

Another quiet month in the NGB minileague with only a few competitors publishing their score, namely due to commitments at university and so forth. Its a hard life for young patchers! Despite this the comparative league appears to have been shaken up somewhat with Amy Robjohns overtaking yours truly (James Common) to claim to the top spot and Johnathan Scragg falling to third place. Amy's leap from fifth place to first was aided by some good birds at Titchfield in August including five individual Wood Sandpipers. With only a minute fraction between Amy and James at the top of the comparative league it will only take one good bird during september to clinch it during the coming month. Further down the table the lineup of Patchwork stalwarts remains largely the same.

No shock changes in the points league on this occasion though a few competitors did make gains with Cathal Forkan jumping up a place, Amy Robjohns hopping from sixth to fifth place and Ash Baines and Drew Lyness jumping ahead of James Common. Admittedly very few NGB submitted scores this month though I hope this will change as September draws in and motivation levels increase in tandem with Autumn migration. Though Joe Stockwell boasts a stranglehold on the top of the league there is definite potential for change and a good flurry of Autumn migrants could cause huge changes in the coming months.

As for the birds this month Joe Stockwell's Wryneck was the cream of the crop when it comes to self-finds during August. Joe also noted a superb (though rather distant) Kentish Plover whilst the best of the rest consisted of a Hobby for Jonathan Farooqi, Little Stint for Cathal Forkan, Ruff for Rhys Chivers at Soar Valley Pitts and Green Sandpiper for Drew Lyness at UEA.

Hobby - Jonathan Farooqi

- James C (Patchwork Challenge)