More Lepidoptera & a thirsty Accipiter

Nice weather, pretty slow birding! I ventured down to Holme around lunch, it was pretty hot, certainly the hottest day of the year so far. The only hopes for birds seemed the sky or the nets! I was totally wrong, the nets at the NOA weren't open and despite leisurely lunch and scanning nothing too great in the skies.

Later in the afternoon I tried some more butterfly photography, there was no shortage of insects Small Heath, Brown Argus, Green Hairstreak, Small Copper and Wall Brown the pick of the species and plenty of all of these on the wing, also my first Common Blue of the year. All damn difficult to shoot in 20c, very active!

I was a bit unlucky on the birding front as I had stopped off at Robin Joliiffe's on the way up and had shared 20 mins watching some nice birds in his back garden, he had a Spotted Fly just  after I left, bugger!

Anyway, as well as a few butterfly shots, I did also have the semi-regular Sparrowhawk in the car park, Kelvin had topped up the puddle and just I was heading to my minibus I noticed this bird sitting drinking again from the pool!

Female Sparrowhawk NWT Car park

Female Sparrowhawk NWT Car park

Small Heath

Green hairstreak - irresistible!