Dragonflies - Communal Thread

just a few months now - nice to see any Dragon/Damsel

I saw lots in S Africa …….. but they spend all their time flying around down there

Thanks for posting Philip …….. something to look forward to …….
 
Jeff Watson said:
I have absolutely no idea what sort of dragonfly this is. He was bloody fast though - I spent ages getting this shot.View attachment 31713
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....Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii). I admin 'UK Dragonflies & Damselflies' which has over 1,800 members.

All dragonflies are fast and can fly backwards as well as sideways and up and down. They have 360 degree eyesight too.

It's a great shot :)
 
Here's one for you Robin, not a great shot but it is the best I could do .. seen in S Africa

any idea what it is?

I have narrowed it down to 2, but still no idea really

Dragon_black_2.jpg
 
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BillN_33 said:
Here's one for you Robin, not a great shot but it is the best I could do .. seen in S Africa

any idea what it is?

I have narrowed it down to 2, but still no idea really
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....Sorry but my expertise only extends to the UK species. Nice environment shot anyway.
 
RedRobin said:
....Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii). I admin 'UK Dragonflies & Damselflies' which has over 1,800 members.

All dragonflies are fast and can fly backwards as well as sideways and up and down. They have 360 degree eyesight too.

It's a great shot :)
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I have to disagree Robin, the picture taken by @Jeff Watson is a female Common Hawker.
 
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Brachytron said:
I have to disagree Robin, the picture taken by @Jeff Watson is a female Common Hawker.
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....Actually you are right, Mark. I was in a hurry and didn't look carefully enough :oops: :$ I should know better shouldn't i!
 
Jeff Watson said:
Well my question's been quoted, but I still don't have an answer.
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....There was a forum software hiccup which meant that I couldn't edit and hence add my comment.

Jeff Watson said:
How do you know it's a female?
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....As well as colouration, the anal appendages are a feature for sexing dragonflies.
 
One of the first dragonfly pictures I got at the end of June last year. I was lucky enough to see it land on this tree for the evening.

Canon EOS 100D, EF75-300mm f/4-5.6, Scene Intelligent Auto, 1/400, f5.6, iso400

10934-1427399207-f950be839b15f593d022533b1440682c.jpg
 
@Ryewolf Geoff, brilliant shot of a Brown Hawker Dragonfly - A species which is very tricky to photograph as it never settles for long. Very rich image indeed.
 
Brachytron said:
With all the 7D2s around now (me and @RedRobin to name but two) we should see some great in flight shots this year - should start to see the first appearing at the end of this month
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....No pressure then :D
 
I haven't seen any as yet, but hoping that next month I will...
 
We have quite a few lakes and small ponds around us ....... been looking the last week .... not seen anything yet ......... I'll look thru the book to see if anything is supposed to be emerging this month
 
The Large Red Damselflies and Azures are out and about now. Also, a few others here and there plus the Dragonflies have started to emerge.



^ Large Red Damselfly consuming a Cranefly(?).



^ Broad-bodied Chaser.
Always a compromise between DoF and OoF background. This time I went for DoF on the subject.



^ Hairy Dragonfly (definitely not Brazilian!).
This one decided to hang upside down only inches off the ground! I had to lie down avoiding prickly gorse but he was very tolerant of me and I retreated slowly so not to disturb - Respect for Respect.

Camera info on Flickr - Just click the image.
 
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Here's one I took last year when there were quite a few around. This was before I got a proper macro lens hence not too close, but I liked the colours in the scene:

 
A male Four-spotted Chaser hovering to protect his egg-laying female. This is the best chance to capture in flight shots of this species. Unfortunately, the sun slipped behind a cloud and in order to get a high enough shutter speed, the ISO shot up so it's a bit noisey (even for the 7D2)

Four-spotted Chaser by Mark Tyrrell, on Flickr
 
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