|
Stephen Burch's Birding & Dragonfly Website |
|
Home | Trip Reports | Gallery | UK index | Oxon pics | UK pics | Dragonflies | Other Nature | Links |
||
|
Stephen Burch's Birding & Dragonfly Website |
|
Home | Trip Reports | Gallery | UK index | Oxon pics | UK pics | Dragonflies | Other Nature | Links |
||
|
|
 |
Migrant Hawker, Shellingford Pit, Oxon. 18 September 2010 These hawkers were showing well today in warm sunny conditions. As ever dragonfly in-flight shots are never easy, but Migrant Hawkers do tend to hover for just long enough to get on to them if the conditions are right. These two pics form a good comparison with the Common Hawker shown below. |
 |
Migrant Hawker, Shellingford Pit, Oxon. 18 September 2010 See above |
 |
Common Hawker, Timble Ings, Yorkshire. 31 August 2010 This was my main target at this site, as it was mentioned on the excellent Yorkshire branch of the British Dragonfly Society's website. This shot took some time, as these insects never settled! Note the diagnostic yellow costa (line along the leading edge of the front wing) and small yellow marks on the abdomen. Click on pic to enlarge |
 |
Common Darter, Timble Ings, Yorkshire. 31 August 2010 This was a good site for dragonflies, with Common Hawker (above), Brown Hawker, Black Darter and Emerald Damselfly all notable. |
 |
Brown Hawker, Radcot Lock, Oxon. 15 August 2010 These hawkers are quite difficult to photograph well, and this is worth showing for that reason. They tend to either zoom around all over the place, or be settled deep in vegetation where they are both difficult to see and get a clear shot of. Hence this one taken on a casual walk was something of a bonus. |
 |
Small Red eyed Damselflies, Shellingford Pit, Oxon. 8 August 2010 Despite the somewhat mixed recent weather, these were doing well at this site, with at least 10+ present, including several tandem pairs like this one. |
 |
Small Red eyed Damselfly, Shellingford Pit, Oxon. 3 July 2010 The good weather is clearly having a beneficial effect, with the speciality of this site present in good numbers (5+), quite early in the season. In the poor summer last year, I only found one or two here and then not until mid August. |
 |
Scarce Chaser, Trowbridge, Wiltshire 12 June 2010 See below. Click pic to enlarge |
 |
Scarce Chaser, Trowbridge, Wiltshire 12 June 2010 These shots took some persistence as most of these dragonflies were in difficult to access locations on the steep sided river banks. |
 |
Blue tailed Damselfly, Trowbridge, Wiltshire 12 June 2010 A macro shot while on the Scarce Chaser chase (see above). |
 |
Northern Damselfly, Abernethy, Highland 5 June 2010 One our rarest damselflies, this was very difficult to distinguish from Common Blues at the same site - only careful inspection of the photographs afterwards revealed its identity! |
 |
White faced Darter, Tulloch Moor, Highland 5 June 2010 There were a few adult males present, but impossible to photograph out over the pool. Immatures in the surrounding heather were easier... Click pic to enlarge |
 |
White faced Darter, Tulloch Moor, Highland 4 June 2010 More distant photo than above, but at least this specimen has a white face! |
 |
Downy Emerald, Otmoor, Oxon 15 May 2010 An excellent start to the new season with this very obliging, and early rarity. This appears to be the first record since 2004 from anywhere in Oxfordshire. I did however have a possible here last year. Thanks to Peter Barker and Pete Roby for spotting this one flying over my head! Unusually for a dragonfly, this one preferred to close its wings up, like a damselfly. Perhaps due to the cool conditions? The downy body shows well in this photograph. Click pic to enlarge. |
 |
Downy Emerald, Otmoor, Oxon 15 May 2010 An initial hand-held shot from some distance - the only one showing the wings in the 'proper' straight-out mode. |
| © All pictures copyright Stephen Burch | |
