Pondlife

Blue-tailed Damselflies

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Four-spotted Chaser

Emperor egglaying

Waterlily

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Summertime at The Lodge

Painted Lady

Speckled Bush Cricket

Male Emperor

female Emperor, hovering to find somewhere to lay her eggs

Holly Blue

Gatekeeper

Wasps

Marmalade Hoverfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Another day, another dragonfly

Today at the swimming pool, a female Emperor laid her eggs while the male patrolled nearby. A female Broad-bodied Chaser darted about, a Hairy Dragonfly zapped around and damselflies perched in the reeds and on the lilypads.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Summertime

Painted Lady - a smart UK-hatched butterfly (not a scruffy migrant)


Emperor dragonfly laying eggs


Gatekeeper on Ragwort


I bought a window feeder for the office. When a flock is passing through, there's a constant stream of Great, Blue and Coal Tits coming for sunflower seeds. They seem to peer in at me before flying off with food


photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Baby birds, dragons and damsels

The year's first brood of Swallows is now on the wing (and on the wires) at home


Female Emperor laying eggs on the pool at The Lodge


Four-spotted Chaser


My first Small Red-eyed Damselfly of the year at The Lodge


I saw the first ever dragonflies to emerge from our garden pond this morning - Common Darters.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Oviposition

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Gardens

Gatekeeper, my first of the year (sorry, I'm slow)

Lift-off for a bumblebee

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Emperor ovipositing

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Poolside

With hot weather and little time to spare, the swimming pool at The Lodge is the place to be...

I love photographing Emperor dragonflies. Above: females ovipositing (egg-laying)

Males are much harder to get a shot of

Azure Damselflies

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselflies

Four-spotted Chaser

I was buzzed by another low-flying object, so they got their picture taken

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Minsmere dragonflies

male Emerald damselfly

Emperor ovipositing

I could have spent all day at the pools near the Minsmere visitor centre, as there were a few Southern Hawkers flying round, tantalisingly within camera range. However, I spent 10 minutes there and didn't quite manage any shots... Maybe next year??

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

The Lodge

Red-eyed (background) and Small Red-eyed (foreground) Damselflies

Red-eyed

Small Red-eyed


Common Darter

female Emperor ovipositing

female Brown Hawker resting between bouts of egg-laying

Manx Loghtan sheep

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM