Butterflies do exist...

It’s been such a terrible year for butterflies that seeing a dozen Ringlets and Meadow Browns this evening seems like a bit of a high spot and is my only excuse for including these…

A relatively limited range of habitats etc. means the parish butterfly list is short (22 species) and getting shorter as some former regular species have disappeared with, for example, both Large and Small Skipper not seen for a number of years. I’m not clear why this should be as suitable habitat certainly still exists in the parish and the latter species is increasing in numbers nationally. I will make a concerted effort to try and locate some this month.

On the lake the female Tufted Duck has managed to hold on to all nine of her young so far and a Kingfisher has taken up temporary residence. A Sparrowhawk flashed through vigorously mobbed by at least 20 Swallows. With practice I think you can make a reasonable guess at the hawk species by the Swallows alarm call with both Hobby and Sparrowhawk eliciting the most vigorous response, slightly less for Kestrel and further subdued for other species. As if to prove the point a little later I heard a less intense version of their call and this time it was a Little Owl bounding across half-heartedly dive-bombed by a small group of Swallows..    

Year list to end of June remains on 99 bird species.