I happened to be in the hostelry and was chatting to Rog the Oil.

I was telling him that this summer has been very bad for butterflies, as a result of the cool, soggy weather. Rog gave me the good news that Steve the Stone had been successful in getting a bird to nest in an old hat in his workshop. The nest was raided last year and the young lost so it’s a real triumph this year. Rog was less sure of the species, but after a few guesses (Robin - no, Blackbird - no, Dunnock - no) we settled it was probably a wagtail, and a pied wagtail at that. Good news indeed.

Because, it is true there have been fewer butterflies about. In fact, there appear to be far less insects in general, some studies suggesting a 90 per cent decline since 2000. The days of windscreen cleaning on a regular basis seem to be over. It is important as three quarters of the crops we grow require pollination by insects. It’s hard to know the cause, it could be weather-related, or something to do with the doubling of the use of pesticides over the last 25 years. Sadly, there are implications for all sort of wildlife.

However, I’m glad to say the house martins seem to be getting on fine, with young chirping loudly. They are busy, the parents, swooping around the field to catch the flies, and dodging the swifts of which there are many. The swifts are the noisy, boisterous characters, screaming loudly as they cut through the summer air. Unlike the swallows and martins, they tend to leave early, in August, almost as if they can’t wait to get back to Africa. The swallows hang about well into September and even October, which is much better.

Hopefully the insects situation will improve as there is still a fair bit of summer left, as I keep telling Geraldine, who still pines for African summers. I hate to say it, but I noticed the berries forming on the brambles - we’ll be picking blackberries in just a few weeks!

• Fred Knobbit is a nature blogger. He grew up in the Pennines in Lancashire on the edge of an industrial town but is now safely in Cornwall. You can read his archive at www.bodminblogger.com