My Top Odonata Photos of 2020

Having posted some of my photo highlights in the past few weeks, I thought I would perform my annual duty of trying to pick my top 3 odonata photos taken throughout the year. I have generally found this quite easy in the past few years but this year seems to have been somewhat different and more difficult to achieve. I kind of already knew what was going to be my favourite photo when I took it earlier during the year but picking my second and third choice has not been easy. I could have picked a number of photos to fill this space but have finally... I think made up my mind. I hope you enjoy the photos.

No 3 - Ovipositing Dainty Damselflies with flyby Tandem Pair 

Dainty Damselflies (Coenagrion scitulum) - ovipositing

I was very fortunate during the year to see the very rare Dainty Damselflies at Sandwich Bay in east Kent in good numbers and on my first visit with the warden to survey them, was just happy to see this new species for me. After appreciating them and noting the features to identify them, I set about trying to get a few images with the camera. Most were out over the water and rarely, did they ever come that close so to get any photos, I was going to have to use the f4 Canon 300mm lens. I could see a few ovipositing out over the water and sat down at the waters edge and started taking a few photos. I must be honest and say at this point, I was just happy to have finally snapped a few images of this rare damselfly but sometimes to get a desirable photo, you require an element of luck. Whilst firing off a few photos, a few Dainty Damselfly pairs were flying by and as luck would have it, I managed to get a pair flying behind which made for an interesting shot. Whilst not totally in focus, I still really enjoy this photo as it shows off some of the identification features quite well and captures a nice moment in time as they go about their business.

No 2 - Emperor Dragonfly Emerging

Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) - emerging

Anyone following my blog during the past few years would have noticed I put in a lot of time trying to capture dragonflies and damselflies emerging. For me, this is such a special moment to capture as the water based nymph finally make the transition into a dragonfly, a simple miracle of nature. Whilst a number of species emerge during daylight hours, a number of the larger species often emerge at night when it is safer to do so and then fly up into the trees to mature before daylight arrives. There is something magical about trying to capture this night time emergence that not that many of us ever see as often, we are in bed ourselves. I had put a couple of Emperor Dragonfly nymphs into my pond a few weeks before they were due to emerge and had planned to check the pond most suitable nights with the view of photographing this event in the dark. Having checked during the early evenings a few times, the night come when I finally checked and saw the nymph around 21:30pm climbing up a reed stem. I let the nymph settle down before moving in with the camera and tripod. I was able to lay down at the pond and over the next couple of hours, photograph each stage as the Emperor emerged. I was really pleased with how the set worked out and feel that they show the night time emergence well. I could have chosen many photos from this set but opted for this one in the end which still shows the abdomen clearly visible still through the exuviae moments before finally becoming a dragonfly. A real special moment to study and photograph this event. 

No 1 - Dainty Damselflies Mating

Dainty Damselfly (Coenagrion scitulum) - mating pair

On my second visit to Sandwich Bay to survey the Dainty Damselfly colony which saw 180 individuals flying which was some spectacle, there were a number of pairs in the long grasses mating on arrival at the pool. From this point, I could already see the photo in my mind I was going to try to achieve. It had to be the mating wheel with an uncluttered background showing this rare damselfly hopefully securing the future of the next generation of this species. I tried to creep up on a few mating pairs which soon flew off before I could try for some photos and realised my task was going to be harder than I first thought. I kept on persevering and ended up with a few nice photos but most had busy and noisy backgrounds which caused the eye to wander a little too much. I kept on looking for the right pair and eventually could see a pair on the edge of some grasses. Not wanting to muck this one up, I must have crawled on my belly quite a few metres before I was in range with the camera. I initially had my f4 300mm lens on to secure a few shots before changing to the trusty Sigma 150mm macro lens. I was able to edge in bit by bit until I had the angle I wanted with a clear background and started firing away. It was still not easy as I tried my best to get the subject perpendicular to the lens which at times was tricky but eventually, I managed a number of photos where most of them are in focus. Looking on the back of my camera, I knew I had my shots and was really pleased when I rushed home to process them. A truly magical experience and one I will never forget. I'm just hoping that I and others will be able to see them again next year. 

This will probably be my last post this year but I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that have visited during the year and have taking the time to comment on my photos. The very kind words of encouragement have been greatly appreciated. Thank you. I would like to wish you at this point a safe, healthy and wildlife enriched 2021.