Monday 7 June 2021

The Chase is on!

Saturday was spent leading my first guided dragonfly tour for 'Naturetrek' at Westbere Lakes and Grove Ferry and with the weather getting better throughout the day, the enthusiastic party of 6 were treated to a good number of dragonflies and damselflies in the Stour Valley. Although we only saw 1 Norfolk Hawker at some distance (they are a good 12 days behind last year) we saw up to 8 Scarce Chaser and plenty of Hairy Dragonfly, Banded Demoiselle, Variable, Azure and Blue tailed Damselfly with lesser numbers of Red eyed Damselfly and Common Blue Damselfly. 1 Emperor Dragonfly, 2 Four spotted Chaser and a bonus 2 Norfolk Hawker exuviae found added to a wonderful day. I am already looking forward to this Saturdays tour with the weather looking promising and hopefully a few more Norfolk Hawker on the wing. Yesterday (Sunday) I spent an hour around 8am walking around the magic meadow at Nethergong where I hoped to find a few roosting dragonflies in the long grasses. No hoped for Norfolk Hawker but I did managed to find 4 Broad bodied Chaser, 1 Four spotted Chaser, 1 Black tailed Skimmer and 1 Emperor Dragonfly along with a few Blue tailed, Red eyed and Azure Damselfly. A busy but pleasurable weekend. 

Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - female


Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - male


Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - female


Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - male


Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - female


Four spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) - female

6 comments:

  1. Another fine selection Marc, I hope you got paid well for the guided tour. Stay safe.
    Mike.

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    1. Many thanks Mike. Nice to see them appearing in better numbers now. The trip pays well. Just nice getting paid for something I love. Take care.

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  2. It's great being able to share our enthusiasm and knowledge Marc. Glad your trips have started. I'm sure they will all go well.

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    1. Many thanks Bob. I think everyone had a good time. Really nice to be able to pass on a bit of knowledge about different species and photography tips. That's what it's all about. Take care.

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  3. I'm delighted to hear that your first guided tour for Naturetrek went well, Marc. I'm sure that you had some well-satisfied participants. I managed to find my first dragons for the year on Tuesday - had only had damsels up unitl then. Not had time to look at my photos yet, but I know that they'll on not be a patch on yours!

    Best wishes - - - Richard

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    1. Many thanks Richard. Your photos are just as good Richard, don't put yourself down. Look forward to seeing them. Really enjoyed leading the trip and passing on some knowledge. Looking forward to the next one this weekend. Take care.

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