Ringlets #5

It was a less than promising weather forecast with wind and rain promised, but I still went on a hunt for butterflies with a couple of my friends. 
They know lots of different sites and were convinced that we would find "something", even if it wasn't the fritillaries that I'm still waiting to see :)

It didn't look great as we got close to Leighton Moss, so we popped in there for a couple of hours, making our way to the new and improved Lower Hide.  Indeed it is better than it was, but the fact that some windows are locked shut and others need to be propped open with branches, is most definitely NOT a good thing. Nor was the complete lack of interesting birds. A couple of Marsh Harriers flew by, and we heard a bittern booming once, but that was about it. 
The sun had started to peep through the clouds by 11am, so we headed up to Arnside Knott and started our butterfly hunt. There were ringlets-a-plenty,  including this pair doing their bit for their species, but definitely no fritillaries.  
A single Northern Brown Argus was the best of the rest, plus a Grayling a Speckled Wood and a single Red Admiral being our total number of species seen. Most were not photographed as it was WAY too windy, but I did enjoy the day all the same.