Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits sightings

On the way back from Ilkley we had a whistlestop call at Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits which is looked after by the Wharfedale Naturalists Society. Despite our short stay it was evident that damselflies and butterflies were becoming more active. I managed to capture my first decent pic of a Green Veined White feeding from Lady's Smock or Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis) a common perennial of damp meadows throughout the British Isles. Caught a glimpse of a blue on the wing and 5 whites.

On the margins of the lake we spotted approximately 8 blue damselflies, this one was especially light blue in colour unlike most of the others that were a more saturated turquoise hue. With the single back stripe on the thorax and short black mark on segment 2 I'll opt for a male Common Blue Damselfly, and thanks to Emma for the confirmation.

This pic is a little blurred so there's not much detail on this pair of mating damselflies but I suspected that they're Common Blue Damselflies too, thanks again to Emma for confirming my ID. We'll definitely visit again over the next few weeks and look forward to the appearance of more Damselfies and Dragonflies.

Down by the river Sand Martins were busy, a pair of Oystercatchers made their presence known, and in the same area where I last saw three buzzards, today a Red Kite made a brief appearance.