Monster from the deep

Spotted a Southern Hawker emerging from one of the ponds, and - very conveniently - its exuvia nearby. So now I've got a definite comparison with what I'm now confident are Emperor exuvia I collected a couple of summers ago.

Though the hawker looked well on the way to its maiden flight at lunchtime, it was still sitting there when I walked past after work...

Lady Hawker

 

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

Flight fantastic

My lawnmowing today was interrupted by the arrival of a male Southern Hawker at the pond. It was quite breezy and he made repeated sorties across the water, trying to keep away a few Common Darters which wanted their place by the pool.

Now I've finally sussed out that autofocus is pretty useless on flying dragons, I had a much higher success rate. Yay!

I like the jaunty angle of the first one, but the slightly more blurred wings of the others.

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

The hunter

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

Green and red and orange and yellow

Southern Hawker trying to find somewhere to lay her eggs




Small Copper






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

Sunny Saturday

This beautiful male Southern Hawker spent a good portion of the day patrolling the pond, but stopped for a rest on the buddleia

Ruddy Darter

Across the road...

Yes, autumn's here

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

Sunny Sunday

Comma on blackberries

Red Admiral

male Southern Hawker basking

Painted Lady on valerian

Rosehips

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D + EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x II

Bugs

female Southern Hawker

bumblebee

hoverfly

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Fowlmere

Chiffchaff. Darren managed to 'pish' this bird - it's the first time I've ever seen pishing work. It sat right up and cocked its head towards us.

Common Darter. No pishing required

Hawthorn leaves

And stunningly bright berries

Ivy - leaves and flowers

Phragmites

Southern Hawker

Umbellifer of some description (Cow Parsley, I suppose)

Distant new galaxy, or spider web?

Motion on water created by whirligig beetles

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

Job done

Southern Hawker

This lunchtime I achieved something I've been wanting to for a while. I finally got a photo of a dragonfly in flight. I didn't have much to do with it at all; it was only possible due to the camera and lens, being in the right place (thanks, Lucinda, for suggesting we walk to Jack's Pond), and pressing the button at the right time.

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

Dragonfly Day

Southern Hawker, freshly emerged and still drying out

Ruddy Darter

Emperor

Common Darter

Common Darters mating

Spot the damselfly...

At The Lodge today, I saw:

• Small Red-eyed Damselfly
• Red-eyed Damselfly
  
• Common Blue Damselfly
• Blue-tailed Damselfly
• Banded Demoiselle
  
• Emperor
• Migrant Hawker
• Southern Hawker
• Ruddy Darter
• Common Darter
• Four-spotted Chaser
  

I missed the Brown Hawker, though...

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

Woodwalton

Large Skipper butterfly

Male Southern Hawker dragonfly

Mating longhorn beetles Strangalia maculata

Also seen, but not photographed:

• Lots of Ringlet and Meadow Brown butterflies
• My first Common Darters of the year
  
• Cute Muntjac family: Mummy, Daddy and Baby all trotting around together
  
• Exhausted racing pigeon which I grabbed and put in a tree, out of harm's way
  

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995