With the number of species diminishing by the week now, we are left hoping that the Migrant Hawker, Common Darter and Willow Emerald Damselfly will continue to give us a good showing before the season draws to a close. The temperatures are notably starting to drop during the day time now and with the autumnal weather arriving in force of late, I am hoping that there will be a few weekends that the sun shines and temperatures can recover enough for them to fly. Its often a case of making a visit to a site and locating the sheltered sunny spots where hopefully the dragonflies will be flying and taking in the warm rays of the sun. A few weeks ago when I was at Nethergong, there were a few more Migrant Hawkers flying up and down one of the dykes which provided me with a bit of entertainment. They are quite an inquisitive species and after being inspected by a few, they accepted my presence and continued to patrol their territory, often pausing to hover which allowed me to fire off a few photos. Every now and then, they would find a reed to land on where they would horizontally watch out for other dragonflies passing by. I'm not too sure what the weather has in store in north Kent over the weekend but I hope I can make a visit to Nethergong to see the remaining few species on the wing in the warm sunny autumnal sunshine!
Migrant Hawker (male)
Beautiful, and in flight too, thanks Marc.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Bob. Always like a flight challenge. Nice when it pays off.
DeleteGreat shots there, Marc. It must help for photography when they've got a linear dyke to patrol, rather than an open area where they tend to zoom off in any direction - like the situations I seem to find them in in these parts!
ReplyDeleteLast time I was out (Tuesday) I only saw Common Darters, but there were lots of them all engaged in a remarkable mating and ovipositing frenzy - like there was no tomorrow! Not seen Migrant Hawker since last Thursday, and my last Southern Hawker was 20th September - in my garden!
Found out last Thursday that the place I was at had hosted a Lesser Emperor last year. There's hope yet!
Best wishes - - - Richard
Think the Common Darters have realised it's a battle against the clock now. I hope to have a few more weeks with them yet depending on the weather. Should still be a few Willow Emerald Damselfly on the wing as well.
DeleteWonderful shots again Marc.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Mike. Much appreciated for your visit and comment.
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