For various reasons, it looked as if I might not get out to look for dragonflies and damselflies last week, so I decided to take a chance on it when we had a spell of warmer weather after lunch this day, although rain was forecast for a few hours later in the afternoon. I set off for Heather Lake, which is not too far from my home in normal circumstances but, due to road closures, required a significant diversion resulting in a journey of 7 miles rather than 5.
It was still rather dull, and it had been rather cold and wet for a few days, so I was not sure what I'd find. Nothing of interest was seen on my walk to the lake but, on arrival, there were a few damselflies around, although no dragonflies were immediately visible.
Reaching the edge of the lake, I started seeing numerous teneral damselflies take to the sky - far more than the mature damselflies. I did not take very much notice of the damselflies, but did take a few shots of them. However, the light was not good, and my photography was worse!
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| Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) (male) - Heather Lake |
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| Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male) - Heather Lake |
Heading south down the east side of the lake, I suddenly spotted an ovipositing Black-tailed Skimmer. She stayed in the area for about 20 minutes - and so did I! She was zooming about at a great rate just above the surface of the water, dipping the rear of her abdomen into the water to deposit eggs as she went - as skimmers and chasers do. I tried to get some shots of her doing this for the whole time I was with her, but failed miserably. Just in case you don't believe me, here's the best I managed to get! Part of the problem was that she was too close.
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (female - ovipositing) - Heather Lake |
Nearby, a Coot was fairly near the bank. I'm a little disappointed that the Little Grebes that I'm used to seeing here in the summer have not appeared this year.
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| Coot (Fulica atra) - Heather Lake |
As I neared the south end of the lake I was surprised to find an Emperor dragonfly ovipositing as I'd seen no trace of this species out over the water.
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| Emperor (Anax imperator) (female - ovipositing) - Heather Lake |
After she departed, I turned round to find that a Speckled Wood butterfly was behind me.
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| Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) - Heather Lake |
At the south end of the lake, I found another ovipositing Emperor, and then a third as I walked up the western side of the lake. This third one gave me a bit of entertainment as there were two Common Blue Damselfly males acting as if one had challenged the other to do something a bit silly or dangerous - I'll let the following sequence of photos explain!
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| Emperor (Anax imperator) (female - ovipositing) - Heather Lake |
My visit was cut short by a call from Lindsay to say that she'd had a call from the delivery driver who was delivering my pond kit, and I should be heading homeward. I did manage a few more shots on the way back, including one of a species of moth that I have seen several times, always near water except one that I'd caught in my moth trap only two days previously!
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| Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis) - Heather Lake |
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| Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) (male) - Heather Lake |
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| Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) (male + female mating) - Heather Lake |
I found it strange that I'd not seen any male Emperors, and also that I'd not seen any dragonfly exuviae, although there was no shortage of damselfly exuviae. However, it had been rewarding to see my first Emperor of the year, even if the photographic results were much less than I'd wish for.
My next blog post will almost certainly be my account of my garden lockdown week which has already given some excitement!
Thank you for dropping by. Take great care and stay safe.
Hi Richard, It must be great to be able to get out and get photo's like those. I am still waiting for the chance. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteMike.
I'm lucky, Mike, that I have a few places near to home that I can get to without too much effort, and where there a few people to give me cause for concern.
DeleteTake good care and stay safe - - - Richard
Hi richard! Woooow! Congratulations! Insanely stunning dragonfly pictures!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne. I love taking photos of these creatures!
DeleteI chuckled to read that the subject was "too close!" A photographer is never satisfied, Richard! We had a Black-billed Cuckoo yesterday that was pleasingly close, but never left the protective confines of a dense bush, so was a dead loss as far as photography was concerned, but a wonderful sighting. Be sure to take a series of pictures as the pond construction progresses, and perhaps by next year you will be photographing dragons and damsels in your own backyard. Or will they be too close?!
ReplyDeleteIt was flying around approximately 2 metres from my camera, David, and almost impossible to track. If it had been 10 metres away, I might have got a few shots with it in frame - as it happens the one above was the only shot I got, out of about 30, with it in frame!
DeleteHow exciting to have a Black-billed Cuckoo, even if you couldn't get a good shot. Not as exciting, however, as when one showed up in UK not so long back!
The construction of the pond would be a very short sequence, David. It really is a mini-pond, only 1 metre square by 35 cm deep, and took about 5 hours to build from start to finish. Just waiting for the plants to put in it now. I ordered them on-line a week ago and was told that it will take at least a month for them to be delivered - very frustrating! When I get the plants in, I'm hoping for the occasional visiting damsels and dragons, but it will probably be a couple of years before there's any chance of anything emerging. When the pond matures a bit, I might do a bit of sneaky pond dipping and see if I can import a few dragonfly nymphs.
So, Richard, as I read your introduction, I expected to see very little in the way of photographs. How nice to be pleasantly surprised!
ReplyDeleteYour excursion may have been short and conditions less than ideal, but, my goodness - what a superb outing!
That series with the Emperor and damselflies was fantastic! I hope David took notice of the "moth in natural setting".
We have been fortunate lately in being able to get out before our afternoon rains begin. We've actually found a few new spots which hold potential for dragons and damsels and are excited to further explore.
Gini and I hope you and Lindsay have a wonderful weekend!
I hope that your newly-found locations turn up trumps (can I still use that word?) for damsels and dragons, Wally. It looks as I'm about to end up with a dragon-free week as the weather has not been suitable.
DeleteIf David saw the moth, he didn't say anything!
It sounds as if your weather pattern is a bit more predictable than ours, even if somewhat more uncomfortable. This has been the first day for a while without thunderstorms, and we've only had light rain today.
I hope your weekend goes well - it's the time of week when we used try to avoid being out amongst the crowds, but with so many people not working now, every day is a busy day in the countryside.
Take great care and stay safe. Best wishes to you and Gini - - - Richard
Wow Richard, the Emperor photos are just amazing, I have never seen such great shots. Firstly with the fantastic reflections and then with the damsels. What lens were you using?
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am very impressed with the Tamron. Not only is the 400 magnification much better than what I had before, but I can also get so much close than I could with the Nikon 300.
Have a good weekend. I am looking forward to seeing what you pond attracts. Keep safe, Diane
Thank you, Diane. I was using the Sigma 50-500 which, sadly, is no longer produced. I'm delighted to hear that you're happy with your new Tamron lens. They certainly have gained an excellent reputation in the past few years.
DeleteIt will be at least a year or two before the pond shows any sign of life. I'm just hoping that the people that I have ordered pond plants from come up with the goods - it's a bit worrying that they said possibly 4 weeks when I placed the order. At the moment, the pond looks like a large wooden crate!
I hope you are having a good week there. Ours looks good weather-wise, but we have problems that are keeping us otherwise occupied at the moment - all to do with gas and water supply to the house!
Take good care - - - Richard
Great to see you out and about. You're certainly making up for lost time with the dragons. An excellent series of photos.
ReplyDeleteSadly, had an almost dragon-free week last week, Marc, due to a number of things, not least of which was the weather. Might not be much better - possibly even worse this week!
DeleteTake good care - - - Richard
Hello Richard
ReplyDeletea short trip but it has it all, I always like to look at these pictures, every dragonfly looks different, super beautiful
Regards Frank
Hi Frank. It is of great benefit to me that, unlike birds which may be, or may not be, there, dragonflies and damselflies are a bit more predictable. It's just a question of looking in the right place at the right time in the right weather - get that correct and there is a good chance that you will find them!
DeleteThanks and best wishes - stay safe - - - Richard
Hi Richard,
ReplyDeleteI am very much behind I see. Due to last week's heat and the enormous amount of work (extra work due to corona), I no longer had the energy to sit behind the PC.
This post is really beautiful with all those dragonflies and damselflies. You really have been able to capture the eggs of the grtoe imperial dragonfly. Another beautiful blog.
Kind regards, Helma
Hello, Helma. I do not know what kind of work you do, but do take very great care if you are anywhere near this terrible virus.
DeleteThank you for your kind words.
My very best wishes - - - Richard