Saturday 11 April 2015

The 'Perfect' Emergence!

I was up quite early this morning where after a cuppa and breakfast, I went to check the pond to see if any Large Red Damselfly nymphs were in the shallows. I counted 4 that looked like they might emerge during the morning if it warmed up enough. About an hour later around 8.30am I checked the pond again and noticed 1 nymph had its body out of the water. I went and prepared the camera and tripod but the only problem was the background was a brown fence which did not make for a nice shot. Not wanting to move any stems around I went and got some green card for a background which at least was a little better than the original brown colour. With drink and food at my side, I settled in for a short wait and after a few testing shots and sorting out settings, the Large Red Damselfly started to climb up the stem. This emergence could not have been any better and as the title suggests, this for me was the perfect emergence. The nymph still had its caudal lamellae attached which made for a better photo and I spent the next hour taking a number of photos of the various stages of the emergence and just watching this miracle unfold in front of my eyes. It very much helped having the use of the tripod as all I needed to concentrate on was the focusing, something no doubt that will cause issues later in the season when you are trying to balance with the camera in awkward situations. Having said that, I am very pleased with the results and now have a complete set of what I was after with this challenge. With more to emerge weather permitting, will I be back to improve on them? I'm sure I will! 









Large Red Damselfly Emerging

21 comments:

  1. As the title says just perfect.

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    1. Many thanks Richard and Adrian, I may not take a better set and am pretty pleased with how they worked out. Just brilliant to watch happen in front of your eyes.

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  2. The things we do do get 'that' photo!

    These are superb images Marc, They deserve a much bigger audience than you get on your blog.

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    1. Thanks Warren, just nice to know that a few people view them from day to day and hopefully enjoy them. Maybe one day that door will open!

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  3. It gets even better, excellent pictures there Marc.

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    1. Thanks Bob. I think I may have peaked to early in the seaon already...... hopefully I can continue to build on this good start.

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  4. Absolutely fantastic, Marc. I have watched your preparations and progress with great interest. Your patience and perseverance have paid off. What an exquisite series of photographs. As you say, a miracle unfolding before your eyes. Utterly beautiful. Well done!

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    1. Many thanks Lucy for the nice comment, much appreciated and thanks for looking at my site.

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  5. Great pictures Mark - can anyone explain what the white "strings" are that seem to connect nymph to fly during emergence?

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    1. Many thanks for your comment Doug. The white strings you see are the white tracheal tubes that the nymph used to transport oxygen.

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  6. Simply stunning photography Marc, well done perseverance paid off .

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    1. Thanks Mike, really chuffed with this set. I doubt I will take better this year but I will give it a go.

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  7. Brilliant...and as you say, a perfect set of images. They are the next best thing to actually being there to witness this amazing spectacle, thanks for sharing them.
    Looking forward to the next installment...keep 'em coming!...[;o)

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    1. It was certainly brilliant watching it happen in real life. Just pleased the photos kind of do it justice.

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    1. Many thanks Adrian for looking in at my blog and the comment, much appreciated.

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  9. Every picture should tell a story and that series is perfection. Congratulations Marc.

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    1. Thanks Mike indeed. I hope those who enjoy odonata and others interested in nature will appreciate what a superb transformation takes place. Just great to capture it on camera.

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  10. Fantastic photos Marc, well captured.

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    1. Many thanks Ian. I will probably not take a better set in my life........ I might give it a try though!!

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