Golden-ringed Dragonfly

[Cybershot]

At a site (Castle Bottom NNR) that usually I have only previously visited for fungi foraying, but which I knew had a meandering valley mire stream, I was lucky enough, in very grey overcast conditions, to spot my first live* Golden-ringed Dragonfly. But had to be content with a barely recognisable in-flight shot as he relentlesly patrolled a 30m stretch of the stream.



(*I have only ever seen a dead female which was the dropped lunch of a passing wagtail.)

David

[Cybershot]

My tally of firsts this week also include a Blue-tailed Damselfly on the Basingstoke Canal, and a Brown Hawker at Minley Duck Pond yesterday.

David

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

My tally of firsts this week also include a Blue-tailed Damselfly on the Basingstoke Canal, and a Brown Hawker at Minley Duck Pond yesterday.

David

It is always so nice to find a first, I think it keeps your enthusiasm up, when you only find the same old things you begin to lose interest.

Brown Hawker's are impressive, I have only seen one once and that was in Cumbria.

I have just seen your odonata image's from today - they are getting better all the time, really sharp.

[Cybershot]

Originally Posted by goosey

It is always so nice to find a first, I think it keeps your enthusiasm up, when you only find the same old things you begin to lose interest.

Brown Hawker's are impressive, I have only seen one once and that was in Cumbria.

At the time I was getting bored with taking shots of the Four-spotted Chasers regularly posing on perches in between scrapping with the Broad-bodied Chasers. It was exciting to see this orangey blur appearing over the water from the treetops every time the sun appeared through a break in the clouds. Managed a blurry in-flight shot sufficiently detailed to confirm the characteristics of a male Brown Hawker.

Edit: Thanks for the above postscript Shirley- I really need a new macro lens as I struggle to get the depth of field a lot of the times

Trouble with Odonata is that there are a limited number of species to find in the UK, but it is my first season after all said and done, so some way to go yet.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Cybershot

Trouble with Odonata is that there are a limited number of species to find in the UK, but it is my first season after all said and done, so some way to go yet.

Last year I found so many common darters it was annoying. 2008 it was migrant hawkers (haven't seen one in 2010), this year there seems a glut of Emperors and I was so pleased to find some common darters emerging from their exuvia this week -so it was a total U-turn in thinking.
I think my best find this year has been the Norfolk hawker, but you won't find them in Hampshire.
If you take in to consideration how many types of blue damselflies there are they could keep you going but they all look the same to me - they must be for the officionardo's!

I find the same with butterflies, you are so limited with species in this part of the world - moths on the other hand there are almost 3,000 types here, so I can often find something new to me.