The Double at Cliffe

I had arranged with Mike Hook to meet up at Cliffe Marshes RSPB reserve this afternoon in the hope of connecting with 2 new species I have never seen before, Scarce Emerald Damselfly and the real prize, Southern Emerald Damselfly. The sun was shining on arrival at 2.30pm and soon after Mike arrived and we made the long walk to the 2nd viewing mound area. On the way there were lots of Common Darter and Ruddy Darter seen with a few Blue tailed Damselfly noted as well. We eventually arrived at the location concerned and Mike and I started to walk the ditches and scan for Damselflies. It was not long before I was watching the first of c30 Scarce Emerald Damselfly, Once you got your eye in they were quite easy to pick out and a few were seen in tandem and egg laying. The camera was soon off the shoulder and firing off shot after shot and after a few were in the bag it was nice to study this species and compare the differences to the Emerald Damselfly.

Male Scarce Emerald Damselfly

We carried on making sure the 3 horses in the field were not going to attack us and come across an area where the horses come down to drink and the reeds had been broken down by them and quite a bit of dry mud. I was happily photographing some Scarce Emerald Damselflies when I noticed some movement to my left. As I looked down I could see a pale Damselfly but the most notable feature was the bi-coloured pterostigma which stood out well. It was of course a Southern Emerald Damselfly, a real rare treat and the first time I have ever seen one. Mike was soon on to it as well and we spent some time photographing the Damselfly from different angles and appreciating this little beauty.

Male Southern Emerald Damselfly

Having looked a little later it would seem this is a male. It thankfully stayed in the same area and posed beautifully for shots, only flying away to chase other Damselflies and catch some prey and return. Having taken lots of photos we carried on looking seeing a few more Scarce Emerald Damselflies and lots more Common and Ruddy Darter.

Female Scarce Emerald Damselfly 

Male Scarce Emerald Damselfly

With the day moving on fast we returned one more time to the Southern Emerald Damselfly and took a few more shots before making the long walk back seeing 1 Emperor Dragonfly hunting the ditches.

Male Southern Emerald Damselfly

Another fantastic session and 2 more new species seen and a few pleasing shots. Many thanks again to Mike Hook for his knowledge of the area and for the company this afternoon. As usual it appears the shots appear somewhat washed out compared to the originals I did in photoshop.