Rodley Nature Reserve Blackcap

Rodley Nature Reserve provided this year's first clear sighting of a Blackcap. We watched this female hop tirelessly from branch to branch gathering insects, presumably to take back to the mouths of hungry nestlings. I was quite taken by its beautiful grey plumage.  The distinctive chestnut cap easily distinguishes it from the black cap of the male.

 

Rodley Nature Reserve damsel updates

Having finally resolved some technical glitches, here's the first installment from last weekend's jaunt to Rodley Nature Reserve which provided a great opportunity for damselfly sightings. My favourite was this lovely juvenile male Banded Demoiselle, basking on pondside vegetation. Last summer, we found good numbers of Banded Demoiselle on a stretch of the River Aire near Kirkstall Abbey, only a couple of miles downstream from Rodley.

There were lots (20+) of male Azure Damselfly amongst the vegetation bordering the ponds and along the hedgerow leading up to the visitors centre.

And smaller numbers of Large Red Damselfly in closer proximity to the ponds.

We also caught sight of a pair of Broad Bodied Chaser dragonfly, too quick for a pic. Here are views of some of the dragonfly ponds at Rodley, well worth a visit.