Well the day looked promising when I arrived at Old Moor, I was hopeful for some insect action today. I started at the Visitor Centre pool, here there were plenty of Azure Damselflies blobbing about on the surrounding vegetation, along with a few Blue tailed Damselflies, they weren’t very active due to the weather, it was overcast, with a bit of wind, which makes taking photos harder. Along with the Damselflies around the pond there were a few Hairy Shieldbugs. I moved on then to the other ponds, I had little luck around here only finding a single Dingy Skipper Butterfly, so after that I decided on having dinner and on doing on the walk back to the car park, I came across a Peacock Butterfly and a Common Blue Damselfly.
After dinner I decided on a walk around the Green Lane Loop, where there seemed to be a little bit more action, there were a lot more Blue tailed Damselflies down here, along with a few Azure Damselflies, no butterflies. Swollen thighed Beetles were enjoying sheltering on the Ox-eye daises, whilst looking at these I also came across a Common Malachite Beetle, also down here I found a Tiger Cranefly and it wasn’t till I passed the Wader Scrape Hide that I found a new Cranefly species for me, a black and red one, with black winged markings, one I believe to be a Ptychoptera contaminata, a nice ending to what was a very dull day, I didn’t find what i was hoping for but nature showed me what it wanted me to see
Cranefly [Ptychoptera contaminata]
Malachite Beetle
Swollen thighed Beetle
Blue tailed Damselfly
Huddsbirder 