Kent Dragonflies: Southern Love!

Tuesday 20 August 2024

Southern Love!

As far as dragonflies go, there's just something special about the Southern Migrant Hawker. A relatively new species to the country which seems to be doing very well in some areas and slowly spreading. I think if I was going to persuade anyone to watch dragonflies, I think the Southern Migrant Hawker would be up there to show off. The colours are simply out of this world, they pose beautifully at times and love to perch and they pause to hover at times to allow lovely flight views. With all the early season photos on social media a while ago and me thinking I might not get a chance to enjoy this species this year, I was over the moon when I found a single male on territory in a field next to Nethergong campsite. A few visits over the past week has produced 14 Southern Migrant Hawkers which have included a mating pair, a pair seen ovipositing, a rare female blue morph female and plenty of photo opportunities. I wonder where they have all come from? Have they all just randomly passed through and found the ideal habitat or did they emerge nearby. It's questions like these which make it all fascinating. After returning from Cornwall over the weekend, I spent a few hours yesterday on site where there were still 6 Southern Migrant Hawkers present. With some time, patience, field craft and plenty of photos taken, I hope that I have captured the beauty of these dragonflies. I'm normally my worst critic but having had the time yesterday (which is vital) to success, I was able to produce a number of photos which I am really pleased with. they really are a species I love to spend my time with. As well as clicking away, there's always learning going on about each species I photograph. Other species noted in the past few days has been plenty of Migrant Hawkers, Willow Emerald Damselfly, Common and Ruddy Darter and the odd Emperor Dragonfly and Brown Hawker.