Yesterday, I was leading a trip for 'Naturetrek' with four clients where we spent the day at Westbere Lakes and later, Sandwich Bay looking for dragonflies and damselflies. In lovely warm mostly sunny conditions at Westbere, we managed to find 14 species. The highlights included 5 Norfolk Hawker, c15 Scarce Chaser, 1 Emperor Dragonfly, 1 Broad Bodied Chaser, c40 Banded Demoiselle, 5 Hairy Dragonfly and a few Variable, Azure, Blue tailed, Large Red, Red eyed and Common Blue Damselfly. A few of these species were new for the group and it was really nice to be able to share in their delight at seeing these species. The highlight, however for me was finding a male Red veined Darter, probably a Stour Valley first and a real mega to find inland here. We all had good views before it disappeared as quick as it appeared. After some lunch, we all had a drive down to Sandwich Bay where the group were excited to see the Dainty Damselflies. Despite a blustery wind keeping a lot of stuff low down, we managed to find c40 Dainty Damselfly and the group which had been primed on identification features, were able to put these into practice on the real thing. We also managed to see 3 Black tailed Skimmer, 1 Broad bodied Chaser, 1 Emperor Dragonfly and a few Azure and Blue tailed Damselfly. Thanks to the groups sharp eyes, 2 Red veined Darters were found on one of the pools with one coming to rest every now and then on the sand. I generally have a rule that the camera stays in the bag on tours as I wish the clients to have the experiences they deserve but with a male Red veined Darter posing on the mud, albeit at a distance, a 15:40, I succumbed to the pressure and the camera made an appearance. I took a few record shots and after say our goodbyes at 16:00 and sharing the successes of the day, I went back to the darter and was able to get a little nearer and obtain a few better images. An excellent day in brilliant company. Many thanks again to Amanda, David, Judith and Steven for help making the day a success.
What a wonderful and enjoyable success leading the group and logging 14 species. I'm very envious of you and your four members Marc. The Red-veined Darter became famous when it appeared in North Lancashire a few years back, but never seen again.
ReplyDeleteRegards....Pete.
Many thanks Pete. Particularly Like the photos against the sandy background. Make the subject stand out well. Take care.
DeleteMany thanks Marc, I had a splendid day out with you (and learnt much) and the others. Fantastic to see so many 'firsts' for me. I'll defo pop back over to these sites to wait more patiently for sightings and photos. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear Red-veined are doing okay. We lost the Sussex ones, although I did get one on my patch last year. It was however, the only Sussex record in 2024.
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