Sparrowhawks and butterflies

Here we are again. More outside work, more plants and more invertebrates. Some ringing at Slapton again at the weekend - nearly 200 birds caught and ringed, of which only 20 were retraps from previous ringing: autumn's well on the way now. Pick of the bunch were the first Grasshopper Warbler of the season and a superb male Sparrowhawk, who posed briefly for a few pictures. An evening bat-detectoring by the bridge produced a few Daubenton's and an abundance of both 'normal' and Soprano Pipistrelle, as well as what was probably an Otter swimming directly below us down the channel to the lower ley. By that stage of the evening it was well dark, so outline was all we had to go on, but it seemed a little big for Mink... A probable, it remains.

Second-year male Sparrowhawk

Juvenile Sedge Warbler

Magpie Moth

Beyond that, I've been out surveying recently - rain seems to be more abundant than anything else at the moment. Oh well...

A nice patch of mire...

Upper end of a mire on the pebblebeds. The rushy-looking stuff is actually a mix of rushes and Black Bog-rush

Rhynchospora alba White Beak-sedge

Some interesting lichens today: Roccella species on some coastal rock crevices, as well as Long-headed Clover and some of the more expected species (Golden Samphire, Madder, Sheep's-bit for instance). Then we were rained off - drenched off, really.

Trifolium incarnatum Long-headed Clover

Roccella fuciformis and fucoides

Some very bedraggled Six-spot Burnet moths

Serratula tinctoria Saw-wort

Marbled White

We also made it to Basti & Laura's birthday do on Sunday, after ringing, which was a bit of a laugh. Fortunately some protection from the weather

Arturo, Jo, Basti, self, Antje and Michael...