'Keeled' Over!

A couple of weeks ago, I made the trip over to Hothfield Common near Ashford to look for the Keeled Skimmer at its only site in Kent. I visit most years and am always amazed how this species hangs on there in the acidic pools which are very small. Somehow they manage to defy the odds and can be seen in low numbers here. I would hope that they would open up the pools more but every year, there seems to just be a couple of puddles. I arrived in warm sunny conditions late afternoon where on arrival, the heat seemed to be keeping the dragonflies down and probably in the shade. After a search along the boardwalk, I managed to find 3 Keeled Skimmer, all males perched up. Luckily they were close enough for me to get a few images after I had done some stalking. A smart species and one that I hope continues to grow in number at this site in the future. 

Yesterday (Sunday), I led a private dragonfly tour for two clients at New Hythe in warm sunny conditions where we noted 30+ Lesser Emperor, 5+ Emperor Dragonfly, 6 Norfolk Hawker, 3 Brown Hawker and a good supporting cast of Common Blue, Blue tailed, Red Eyed and Small Red eyed Damselfly along with Black tailed Skimmer, Ruddy Darter, 1 Downy Emerald, Banded and 1 Beautiful Demoiselle. A really nice day in excellent company. 

Keeled Skimmer - male

Super 'Southerns'!

Last weekend I went over to Oare Marshes in the hope of seeing some Dainty Damselflies. I was walking through the long grasses when I flushed a large hawker which thankfully, flew up into a nearby bush. I immediately knew from the colour that it was teneral Southern Migrant Hawker. I only had the macro lens on so didn't hold out much hope that I would get any decent shots of it. I carefully made my way towards the bush, taking a few photos every now and then, hoping I would have a few record shots. Using a bit of fieldcraft, I managed to get pretty close and was able to take a number of pleasing images of this newly emerged female dragonfly. Looking at the wings, it had probably emerged that morning. She didn't seem that bothered by my presence and I was able to spend time study the finer details on this species. Around my feet, a few Dainty Damselfly were flying which soon had me distracted. I moved on briefly to see what else was about but when I returned a while later, she was still enjoying the warmth of the bush. An unexpected but welcome addition to the day list, an a bonus few shots too. 

Southern Migrant Hawker - teneral female

The 'Gold' Medal of Dragonflies

Last Friday in hot conditions, I made the drive over to a small stream in West Kent near Sissinghurst to hopefully catch up with the Golden ringed Dragonfly. On arrival around midday, I parked up and stood over the small bridge looking at the stream below. Immediately, I could see a number of Banded Demoiselle and Beautiful Demoiselle and then a few White legged Damselflies were seen. After a few minutes the first of 3 Golden ringed Dragonfly seen over a few hours flew low up the stream before venturing down soon after. This is one of those dragonflies that just has to be seen. In Kent, a scarce large black dragonfly with golden rings gracefully flying up and down a quiet stream. Most walkers and drivers going over the bridge will be unaware of what beauty flies below. Having seen my target, I wanted to get some closer views and hopefully a photo or two. This site is always pretty overgrown so after performing a little gardening to access the field, I set about trying to get down nearer the stream. There are only a few areas that you can get quite close to the stream so I spent a little time walking up and down the area, stopping every now and then to peer over the grasses to see whether I could see any perching up or flying. After a bit of homework, I found a couple of perched individuals that seemed quite happy in the area and slowly getting into a position, I was able to fire off a few shots. Most of the time I was perched at awkward angles, but the prize of photographing this dragonfly drove me on to capture them. Occasionally, they would come closer and I was able to spend some time studying their beautiful colours and details. When they had captured prey, they seemed quite content for you to get nearer. There were also a few Large Red Damselfly on the stream too. With a few hours now passed and some lovely memories and hopefully photos taken, I made my way back to the hot car. A superb few hours in the company of one of Britain's best dragonflies. 

Golden ringed Dragonfly - male

Southern Emerald Damselfly (Part 2)

I thought having taken a few hundred photos the other day of the Southern Emerald Damselfly, that I would post a few more shots to show off some of their identification features. Probably one of the most obvious features are the bi-coloured pterostigma which stand out well. The anal appendages on the male are quite white and there is also an isolated spot on the side of the thorax. With some patience and fieldcraft, you can sometimes get quite close and when they do fly, they often fly just a short distance. I tend to find them in dried up ditches but with so much land not viewable to the general public, I suspect that more are out there. Whilst they have a few loyal places in Kent where they can often be seen, they do often wander and only a day or so again, an individual was found in a garden on the North coast in Whitstable. A migrant or a local wanderer, I suppose that is the question. I would like to think that this species can continue to thrive in its current locations and even spread to pastures new. Either way, it's certainly a cracking good damselfly to study and photograph.

Showing the bi-coloured pterostigma

Showing the bi-coloured pterostigma

Southern Emerald Damselfly - male