What did well, what didn't do so well - your observations?

[Deb London]

I have seen some really encouraging signs that various species did well this year in my area. But I have also missed seeing a number that I saw last year.

For example, House Sparrows had a great year. I have heard them in places I have never heard them before. I have seen Greenfinches all over the place, and we even had one hanging about near home for a short while.

On the other hand, a local pond seems to have lost its population of Odonata to a large extent. I would see Large Red Damselflies and Common Darters amongst others. Just a few blues earlier in the year, and nothing at all now.

I'll probably think of many more examples than this.

What have your wildlife winners and losers been? What have people's own personal observations been? I'll wait for the reports to read the data from surveys. I'm not talking about that sort of thing. Just what you have noticed when you have been out and about.

[roseway]

One of the most encouraging sights round here (mid Kent) has been a significant number of young greenfinches. In the last couple of years they have been decimated by trichlormonosis, but there seems to be a new generation of healthy birds, and it's wonderful to see them back.

[Muggsy]

A massive increase in goldfinches and greenfinches and a poor breeding season for the great crested newts and far fewer damsel and dragonflys, wasps, on the other hand, are doing very well "again"

[earthdragon64]

I'll need to think about this a bit more, but off the top of my head, after an early start, odonata numbers haven't been as good as previous years.

One thing that has done really well locally this year is the orchid Creeping Ladies-tresses - Goodyera repens. I've never seen such a good showing before. One local woodland had literally thousands flowering in mid July.

Regards, Audrey.

[Deb London]

Orange Tip butterflies seemed to do amazingly well around here. And I'm not sure whether it's because I can now spot them, but I've found Purple Hairstreaks on something like 10 - 20 % of the Oak Trees I've looked at. Also, I've never seen so many Red Admirals as this year.

But I've rarely seen a Comma. And, in the garden, there have been less Gatekeepers than last year. Burnet Moths don't seemed to have done so well at a local reserve.

I've found more earwigs in the garden than I can shake a stick at - they are everywhere.

[Gill Catton]

I don't think any of my observations can be considered statistically significant, but I found the annual battle between ladybirds and aphids fascinating this year with a massive build up of aphids early on so many greenfly in flight too! (I think slightly late frosts or the harsh winter killed off over-wintered emerging adult ladybirds in my area) then suddenly ladybird larvae appeared in huge numbers and the aphids all but vanished.

The next drama was avian with a pair of blackbirds choosing to nest in some leylandii two gardens down, the surrounding gardens are tiny and have almost no ground cover plants and about 8-12 cats pass through the gardens everyday - a traumatic two weeks for adults with fledged young but at least two babies made it - I was quite amazed I honestly didn't think they had a hope!

Then the house martins, when they first got back they got busy with nest building but the hot snap meant that for weeks all such activity was on hold as the earth turned to concrete for weeks, birds perching somewhat forlornly on the frame they had already managed. It sadly just was not safe for me to provide the recommended mud pies for them so I just had to watch and accept it as what happens in nature (good years/ bad years). The only nest that survived the winter whole was the nest that the babies died in last year (because I think they got too much heat) so although it was quickly adopted I was worried it might be for nothing but thankfully at least two babies fledged then thank goodness the rains came and the other nests kicked off, at least three babies fledged from the nest on the other side of my house and two from the next door. However, This time last year I counted 60+ in the air above the house and this year its more like 40+ so I think they may well have only managed one brood rather than two this year.

Starlings also don't seem to have done very well this year far fewer flocks around. I think the ground was just rock hard at the very time when they needed the worms and leather-jackets for their chicks

The only other thing I can think of is that the National Nature Reserve near me has had a woodland ride opened up a bit and I saw vastly more silver-washed fritillarys this year than last - but possibly just because they were drawn in by the greater density of wild marjoram and St Johns wort growing in the larger area of sun frather than there actually being more adults in the wood. I also managed to get a photographs which I totally failed at last year

[Farplace]

Magpies and Jackdaws have done really well up here in Weardale this year. There are less hedgehogs and less bats however.

[Cuckoo Jack]

In keeping with the national trend, Whitethroats and Blackcaps just seem to increase year after year locally.

Seems a very good year for Red Admirals but not good at all for Small Tortoiseshells.

For some strange reason my local pond, which has housed numerous Azure damselflies over the past few years, has had none this year. Ruddy Darters also appear to have deserted this pond.

[faz]

not seen a single red Admiral lots of gate keepers not so many commas but a few lots of slow worms

[Deb London]

Little Owls seem to have done very well locally, if the number that I hear in the daytime and at various locations is anything to go by.