Common Blue Damselfly

Went up to John O' Gaunts reservoir yesterday, not a lot doing on the bird front, a very pleasant location though, I've not been before. In the absence of birds to photograph I shot a few landscapes and some attempts at Damselflies. The attached shots, I think I'm right in saying are of Common Blue damselflies (Enallagma cyathigerum). Very similar to the Azure damselfly but can be separated by the markings on the second abdominal segment ( males only). On the Common Blue the mark is shaped like a black club, on the Azure, the mark is like a black U. You can just see that mark on the photograph of the male and female together.

Stephen.

The Western Moors

From Crow Hill Delphs looking NW (c) DCB 2008

From Crow Hill looking N (c) DCB 2008

These photographs taken from the Lancashire / Yorkshire boundary are of areas recently incorporated into BOG.

From Wolf Stones looking S (c) DCB 2008

Dave

Ponden Sand Martin Colony 22-06-2008

Ponden South Overflow (c) DCB 2008
In answer to Marks opening photograph at Riddlesden. A bit of a difference here... a concrete retaining wall being used as a nesting bank! Many of the row of circular weep holes half way up the wall are occupied and birds can be regularly seen entering and leaving.

Ponden South Overflow. Detail (c) DCB 2008
The row of Weep (nesting) Holes can be seen more clearly.

Ponden South Overflow (c) DCB 2008

Ponden Reservoir South Bank (c) DCB 2008
This morning c25 Sand Martins could be seen avidly feeding / gathering aerial food in the lee of the bankside trees and wood. The wind was a SW F6/7 and the birds were having no difficulty whatsoever.

Ponden Reservoir North Arm (c) 2008

Dave

Sand Martin Colony at East Riddlesden Hall