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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 26

Image Taken on 11 Aug 2013 at 14:55    Image of day on 05 Oct 2013

This female Southern Hawker dragonfly spent a few minutes indoors for a some in-flight portraits. She was turning in flight here and partly out of frame.


Ref: 20131005_da1_20130811_1455_387_ft1 southern hawker dragonfly female in flight head-on and sideways (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 Sep 2018 at 14:20    Image of day on 29 Oct 2018

Here our female Southern Hawker Dragonfly shows that her interest is hunting, here holding the remains of some food item in her legs and her mandibles do their thing.
The males of this species seem to spend far longer 'on the wing' than the females in order to guard their territory and be on the lookout for females.


Ref: 20181029_df3_20180905_1420_167 southern hawker dragonfly female in flight holding prey to mouth 2 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Aug 2013 at 12:46    Image of day on 27 Sep 2013

This female Southern Hawker Dragonfly laying eggs on the Iris fronds well above (say 0.5 metre) the water surface. We have only previously seen them laying on near water-level sodden dead wood.


Ref: 20130927_df1_20130807_1246_118 southern hawker dragonfly female laying eggs in iris fronds (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Aug 2016 at 17:48    Image of day on 12 Oct 2016

A Southern Hawker Dragonfly ovipositing (laying eggs) on Iris fronds in the main pond. She spent about 10 minutes laying all around the pond, but almost every stop was out of view or so shaded that neither we nor the camera could see a thing. Finally she reached the front of the pond pausing for a few seconds that you see here. She first had her ovipositor (tail end) out of sight on the left of the frond, and then on the right as you see here, before flying off into the distance after about 10 seconds and we didn't see her again.


Ref: 20161012_df3_20160824_1748_006 southern hawker dragonfly female laying eggs on iris fronds in main pond 2 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 29 Aug 2016 at 12:16    Image of day on 14 Oct 2016

A female Southern Hawker Dragonfly on the Iris fronds on the main pond. Our second sighting this year of this activity but we never seem to get a good view!


Ref: 20161014_df3_20160829_1216_004 southern hawker dragonfly female ovipositing (egg laying) on iris fronds 1 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 01 Oct 2022 at 09:41    Image of day on 07 Nov 2022

A female Southern Hawker Dragonfly warming herself in the sunshine.
Soon only her ghost will haunt the hedge.


Ref: 20221107_d72_20221001_0941_085 southern hawker dragonfly female perched in sunny hedge(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Aug 2021 at 12:47    Image of day on 15 Sep 2021

A Southern Hawker Dragonfly buzzing around us stops for a few second on a clump of unripe blackberry fruits. The insects couldn't care less whether the fruit is ripe or not - it is a hunter and this is just 'any' perch.


Ref: 20210915_df3_20210804_1247_066 southern hawker dragonfly female perched on un-ripe blackberry fruits(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Sep 2012 at 13:14    Image of day on 26 Oct 2012

Hawker dragonflies are very territorial. This is the same insect as above (judging from the wing damage) next day patrolling over the pond. The image has been rearranged and the spacings slightly stretched to illustrate the almost hover.


Ref: 20121026_df1_20120919_1314_266+264+265 southern hawker dragonfly flying over pond 3+1+2 of 3 (re-ordered & spread montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Aug 2009 at 12:45    Image of day on 22 Sep 2009

Repeated attempts at getting a good high speed dragonfly-in-flight sequence got this unexpected moment of interest. The dragonfly spent a moment hovering and in the reaction time to press the shutter to store the last 1 second it turned round on the spot and flew back towards the camera (and then even more out of focus). The entire time for the montage shown was 0.166 second.


Ref: 20090922_cf1_20090808_1245_907+913+917+919 southern hawker dragonfly hover & sudden turning 60fps 13+19+21+23 of 27 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Oct 2016 at 15:08    Image of day on 19 Nov 2016

A hovering Southern Hawker Dragonfly showing us the crazy wing positions it uses to resist the effects of the wind and control it's position.


Ref: 20161119_df3_20161004_1508_062-065 southern hawker dragonfly hovering 1-4 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 22 Jul 2007 at 10:31    Image of day on 15 Aug 2007

This Hawker dragonfly (about 10cm wingspan) landed in a sunny hedge in front of us. To see an image in flight look in the archive for 20 Sep 2006.


Ref: 20070815_d10_20070722_1031_049 southern hawker dragonfly immature male (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Aug 2014 at 15:55    Image of day on 20 Oct 2014

The Southern Hawker Dragonfly making another quick turn - all this in half a second.


Ref: 20141020_df2_20140809_1555_430-433 southern hawker dragonfly in flight turning & flying back 01-04 of 11 (montage @ 7fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Aug 2014 at 15:54    Image of day on 20 Oct 2014

A somewhat atypical Southern Hawker Dragonfly that was patrolling this pond from mostly in the shade, turning as each end of his flight took him out into the sunshine. Except in very hot weather (which this wasn't) dragonflies here normally stick to the sunny patches. This first is 1 second of flight. The visual impression of 'instant' change of direction reflects the reality!


Ref: 20141020_df2_20140809_1554_382-386+388-390 southern hawker dragonfly in flight turning & flying back 1-5+7-9 of 9 (approx montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Aug 2011 at 15:59    Image of day on 05 Oct 2011

We watched entranced (and wet) for several minutes as the Southern Hawker Dragonfly placed eggs in various spots. Here you get a good view of her egg laying equipment.


Ref: 20111005_df1_20110823_1559_070 southern hawker dragonfly laying eggs on wet rotten wood by pond side (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Aug 2011 at 15:59    Image of day on 05 Oct 2011

Here is a Southern Hawker Dragonfly laying eggs on a sodden branch left by the edge of the main pond for a couple of years. If you want wildlife, untidiness can be a virtue! We noticed the insects unusual behaviour through the window and stampeded out into the drizzle to see these few minutes for a first time.


Ref: 20111005_df1_20110823_1559_060+062 southern hawker dragonfly laying eggs on wet rotten wood by pond side (montage for focus)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Sep 2020 at 17:42    Image of day on 20 Oct 2020

The Southern Hawker is the second-most populous Hawker Dragonfly here.


Ref: 20201020_d73_20200908_1742_050 southern hawker dragonfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 18 Sep 2016 at 14:26    Image of day on 06 Nov 2016

In a patch of sunshine on a cool day this lovely Dragonfly was on the wing for long enough for us to see him land. He is in remarkably good condition for this late in the summer - normally the wing edges will have been torn on a few thorns by now.


Ref: 20161106_df3_20160918_1426_096 southern hawker dragonfly male(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 20 Aug 2008 at 15:15    Image of day on 05 Sep 2008

A new dragonfly this week - a male Southern Hawker. Quite a beauty and a strong flyer. Windy out, so no hope of photo in a natural setting, so took some indoors before letting him go.


Ref: 20080905_p34_20080820_1515_350 southern hawker dragonfly male(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Jul 2022 at 12:52    Image of day on 07 Sep 2022

The Southern Hawker Dragonfly appears most years, and here is the first one we have spotted hanging on a blackberry stem up in a sunny hedge.


Ref: 20220907_df3_20220723_1252_191 southern hawker dragonfly male (1st of 2022)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 25 Aug 2013 at 12:37    Image of day on 15 Oct 2013

This Souther Hawker Dragonfly seems to be gliding on the rear wings while flapping the front pair. This image is the top right image in the following montage.


Ref: 20131015_a77_20130825_1237_347 southern hawker dragonfly male 90 degree turn in flight 1 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


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