Some images from an outing with a few members of Cambridge Camera Club to Paxton Pits nature reserve, near St Neots. This was led by Ann Miles, who has been a supporter of the reserve for years - it’s based on old gravel workings. Gravel extraction is continuing in areas adjacent to the reserve, and to continue the company has to commit to restoring the landscape to reserve status when that’s complete.
It’s a wonderful place for local insect life in the spring as summer, and we arrived a short while after Norfolk Hawker dragonfly emergence had begun, plus the hedgerows were alive with assorted blue and emerald damselflies. A few interesting flies and butterflies completed the cast of attractions.
Norfolk Hawker in flight
I was using the Olympus OM-1 with its subject recognition AI and, despite this hawker being one of the more difficult species to catch on the wing because it darts unpredictably over the water, I got a lot of usable images.
Turning Hawker
Several of the damselflies were showing off their beautiful iridescence.
Brilliant Blue Damselfly
Female Banded Demouselle Damselfly
Finally a Yellow-tipped Butterfly feeding on the buttercups in one of the meadows.
Yellow-tip on Buttercup.