Dragonflies?

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wayne clarke
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Is it me or are there more about this year? So far I've come across them all over the place, haven't seen one for years before. The really annoying thing is every time I fall over them I haven't got a macro lens handy. Yesterday I got a few shots with the 50mm I had on camera,, switched to the macro and the darn thing legged it before I got a good shot.
Serious question where do they go in the evenings? Do they hang on a bush near water or what??
Thanks
 
Loads around every year where I am, this year's no different at all. All my local insects seem to be very flighty this year. I've hardly managed any photos.
I think they do 'roost' at night, and then like most insects take a while to get going in the morning (I know that feeling :()
 
Hi,
It`s like lots of things, they come about in cycles, the weather does this as well.
For your question, Yes I think they find shelter in tree`s, it`s the same for Butterflies as well.
Just for a little info, I live in the Southeast of France, Yesterday they had a 10 min swarm of thousands of Dragonflies near Toulon, was amazing to see them but not in person, I saw a video.
 
I saw an article somewhere on tv which showed hundreds of dragonflies roosting on reedbeds. It was a pretty stunning sight!
 
Is it me or are there more about this year? So far I've come across them all over the place, haven't seen one for years before. The really annoying thing is every time I fall over them I haven't got a macro lens handy. Yesterday I got a few shots with the 50mm I had on camera,, switched to the macro and the darn thing legged it before I got a good shot.
Serious question where do they go in the evenings? Do they hang on a bush near water or what??
Thanks


They roost close to water- usually at the base of reeds- very difficult to see

I usually photograph these incredible insects early morning, like here: https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/a-dragon-adventure.700736/#post-8512356

On an hour spent at Ham Wall on the Somerset Levels. Early mornings they are not so flightly and easier to photograph

Hope this helps?

Les :)
 
Some cracking pics there Les.
Many thanks all for the infomataion everybody. The place I saw them the other day had reeds, looks like an early start one day. Trouble is it's an hours drive for a start....
This is about the best I've managed so far with just a normal lens.

Dragonfly 8583.jpg
 
This is about the best I've managed so far with just a normal lens.

Not a lot wrong with that. Dragonflies are quite big - some of them are very big. You really don't need a macro lens to get a good image (unless you want a close up of its eyeball of course). I use an 18-135mm as a walkabout lens, and though I now have a 105mm macro the old kit zoom still does a good job on dragons.
 
Not a lot wrong with that. Dragonflies are quite big - some of them are very big. You really don't need a macro lens to get a good image (unless you want a close up of its eyeball of course). I use an 18-135mm as a walkabout lens, and though I now have a 105mm macro the old kit zoom still does a good job on dragons.
Thank you Jan. This was I think a standard 50mm, if I remember rightly.
 
I used my 100-400mm + 1.4x teleconverter on all those images Wayne- just to keep some distance
and avoid them flying off lol :)

Les
 
I'm seeing similar numbers to what i normally see Wayne,but am seeing the odd species very locally I haven't done here previously,that might be due to a morphing habitat from cultivated farmland to woodland.

stu
 
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