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Tag Archives: dragonfly

290/366 A host of hawkers

16 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects

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Aeshna mixta, British dragonflies, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, dragonfly, Migrant hawker

You might think, as I certainly did, that the much cooler overnight temperatures we’re now experiencing here in south Wales would mean an end to the hawking flights of dragonflies over our fields and along our hedgerows but I was rather dramatically proved wrong during yesterday’s meander around Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. I didn’t spot just one or two Migrant hawkers but seven (!), the most I’ve seen in one day ever. These are three of them, two of the males and the solitary female. A delight of dragonflies!

201015 migrant hawker (1)201015 migrant hawker (2)201015 migrant hawker (3)

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235/366 Two Hawkers

22 Saturday Aug 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British dragonflies, dragonfly, hawkers, Migrant hawker, Southern hawker

Though Common darters are now, well, common around my local haunts, I’ve seen very few of the larger dragonflies this year, perhaps because last year’s extremely dry summer caused many local ponds to dry up completely. These are two recent finds …

200822 southern hawker

This Southern hawker (Aeshna cyanea) was patrolling a section of a local bridle way/cycle path/walking track called Mile Road and, though I walk this lane quite often, I only saw the dragonfly once. Perhaps it decided the amount of horse/cycle/people traffic along the lane wasn’t conducive to good insect hunting.

200822 migrant hawker

I watched this Migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) for several minutes on Thursday before it finally settled on a nearby tree (I often feel like my head is waving around like I’m a spectator at some kind of crazy tennis match when I’m watching dragonflies). The perch was a little high up for crisp photos but I was pleased to see this, my first Migrant hawker of the year.

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211/366 Rhubarb and custard

29 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British dragonflies, Common Darter, dragonfly, Sympetrum striolatum

From Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss’s Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife Day by Day:
‘Common and widespread though it may be, this small, neat dragonfly is always worth a second look. The males are brick red and the females yellow, so I use the aide-memoire “rhubarb and custard” to remember this.’

200729 common darter (1)

Which dragonfly is being described? I’m sure many of you worked out it was the Common darter, which is flying now in my local parks and reserves, though in quite small numbers so far.

200729 common darter (2)

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156/366 The Emperor

04 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 4 Comments

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Anax imperator, British dragonflies, Casehill Woods, dragonfly, Emperor dragonfly

200604 emperor dragonfly

This dragonfly was another of the beasties I found during Tuesday’s walk at Casehill Woods (see yesterday’s post A new hoverfly for the other). This is, of course, the largest of Britain’s dragonflies, a male Emperor (Anax imperator). This is not my first Emperor sighting of the year but it is the first I’ve managed to photograph – though it initially flew off along the ride in front of me, this beautiful creature very obligingly returned to where it had been perching and stayed put for me to admire it – which I most definitely did!

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153/366 Skimming and resting

01 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Black-tailed skimmer, British dragonflies, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, dragonfly

The Black-tailed skimmers are out and about again at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, and I was delighted to spot both males and females during last Saturday’s exercise walk.

200601 black-tailed skimmer (1)

My guide book*, and most websites I’ve checked, say these dragonflies are ‘typically found resting on bare surfaces near water’, and, as its name implies, Cosmeston has two large lakes, as well as a dragonfly pond. But, perhaps surprisingly, I often find these dragonflies several hundred metres away from water, basking on the bare dirt of the tracks through the wildflower meadows.

200601 black-tailed skimmer (3)

The females and immature males are yellow and black, with what’s described as a ‘ladder’ pattern on their abdomens. One female I found this week had a twisted abdomen – perhaps she was damaged when transitioning from a larva to an adult. Luckily, she was still able to fly freely.

200601 black-tailed skimmer (2)

Mature male Black-tailed skimmers have a blue abdomen, which darkens to black at the end, hence the name of the species.

200601 black-tailed skimmer (4)

* I have the new edition of Europe’s Dragonflies by Dave Smallshire and Andy Swash – highly recommended, and I’m not just saying that because I got a complimentary copy in return for having one of my photos included in the book.

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127/366 First dragonflies

06 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British dragonflies, Broad-bodied Chaser, dragonflies, dragonfly, Lavernock Nature Reserve

I was delighted to see my first dragonflies of the year at Lavernock Nature Reserve during this morning’s walk: two female (with the golden abdomen) and two male (blue abdomen) Broad-bodied chasers.

200506 Broad-bodied chaser (1)200506 Broad-bodied chaser (2)200506 Broad-bodied chaser (3)

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296/365 Migrant hawkers

23 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects, nature

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Tags

British dragonflies, dragonflies, dragonfly, Migrant hawker

Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever seen female (on the left) and male Migrant hawkers together. These two were hanging on a fence at Goldcliff lagoons, near Newport. What a treat!

191023 migrant hawkers

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279/365 A yellow Red-veined darter

06 Sunday Oct 2019

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

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British dragonflies, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, dragonfly, immature male Red-veined darter, Red-veined darter

What’s bright yellow, flies like a helicopter, has relatively huge eyes that are half reddish-brown and half blue, and can sometimes be found in marshy, reed-filled areas in the south-west of Britain?

191005 red-veined darter

I wasn’t sure until I looked it up but it seems this stunning creature that I photographed at Cosmeston a couple of days ago is an immature male Red-veined darter.

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247/365 On the menu

04 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 4 Comments

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#365DaysWild, British dragonflies, dragonflies, dragonfly, dragonfly eating wasp, Hawker dragonflies, Southern hawker, wasp

Today’s lunchtime snack for this Southern hawker dragonfly had a sting in the tail: it was a wasp. The dragonfly, though, started its meal from the other end, first devouring the head, then removing the wings, before steadily munching its way down the body.

190904 southern hawker (2)

This was obviously not good news for the wasp but it was good news for me, as this was the first Southern hawker that’s stayed still long enough this year for me to grab some photos.

190904 southern hawker (1)

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237/365 A resident migrant

25 Sunday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 2 Comments

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British dragonflies, dragonflies, dragonfly, Hawker dragonfly, Migrant hawker

The Migrant hawker’s name is somewhat misleading – it does still like to migrate away from where it was hatched and was once only seen in Britain when it migrated here from Europe. But, since the 1940s, ever increasing numbers have come here and this species does now breed in Britain, where its range continues to expand northwards.

190825 migrant hawker (1)

I’ve seen a few of these dragonflies this year but today was the first time one has settled long enough for me to get a few photos. That was probably because, despite our high daytime temperatures, it is now quite a bit cooler at night, and, as I was out relatively early this morning, I found this little one still basking in the sun trying to warm up.

190825 migrant hawker (2)

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sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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