Good walk around Middleton today, two hobbies hawking high over the lake took my Middleton list to 60 in 4 visits, plus lots of butterflies - at last. Since the end of April, when our species list was 12, we hadnt added a new butterfly to the year list, but today we saw some numbers of meadow brown, small tortoishell, gatekeeper and ringlet - nice. Also lots of dragonflies & damsell flies including banded-demoiselle, hence the hobbies.Cuckoo still calling, a bit late as from our observations their prey species seem to be fledging, probably hoping to catch a second brood. Plenty of juveniles of most species around, especially long-tailed tits who seem to have done well again. A good day again.
tonyj