It wasn't just the dispiriting weather than made this year so memorable, it was the difficulties of doing any sort of planning with those set in and long periods of wet gloom.

I would certainly be interested in field meetings with others.

I am more tentative about organizing one. The sites I know include Hic Bibi, Healey Nab, Cuerden Valley Park,the Ainsdale NNR slacks (not visited this year), Roudsea and Gait Barrows. Only HN, Cuerden and ANNR guarantee reasonable numbers of common species.

As regards the group more generally, I would suggest a social/information exchange set up, especially during the colder months, when perhaps we may meet!

The other overlapping emails I am getting from the group cover sitings, so I should comment about Healey Nab that I have only been visiting since the 28th. Aug, the last on the 9th. Oct.. Common hawker is concentrated in and around the two small sandstone quarries now with permanent water, that are set in some heathland next to a wood and there are open "copses" of birch and scrub in the countryside around. In good weather, pairs in cop were seen and they would settle in heather or on a rock face for good photo opportunities. The other species are black darter and common emerald damsel in reasonable numbers. I have seen one southern hawker and a few brown and one common darter. On the last visit in warmish weather, one lonely juncea male patrolled one of the ponds in the quarries. Imaginative parking would be needed next year if a group went as the road there is narrow.

Peter.