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Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 22 Aug 2020 at 15:55    Image of day on 06 Oct 2020

This male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly landed to hang from one of the giant thorns of a Blackthorn plant in a hedge.


Ref: 20201006_d73_20200822_1555_355 migrant hawker dragonfly male hanging from blackthorn thorn(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Aug 2014 at 10:14    Image of day on 18 Oct 2014

We love the colour of Dock seed heads, and we suspect that Migrant Hawker Dragonflies may be attracted to brown to perch on, being a good camouflage colour for them.


Ref: 20141018_df2_20140808_1014_132 migrant hawker dragonfly male hanging from dock seed head (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Aug 2015 at 12:33    Image of day on 22 Oct 2015

This male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly is one of the smaller Hawker Dragonflies (though still impressive perching on your hand) and is a delight to watch hunting.


Ref: 20151022_da1_20150822_1233_252_ft1 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Aug 2015 at 12:37    Image of day on 22 Oct 2015

The Migrant Hawker Dragonfly is only interested in the flower as somewhere to perch while hunting over the pond!


Ref: 20151022_da1_20150822_1237_272+1331_357_ft1 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight + water mint (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 01 Sep 2022 at 12:51    Image of day on 08 Oct 2022

A closer look at a male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly hunting over a concrete access track that acts as a suntrap.


Ref: 20221008_d72_20220901_1251_126 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight 1 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Jul 2014 at 15:53    Image of day on 02 Oct 2014

A 'lucky' couple of frames (where luck = 100s of frames trying!) of a migrant male Migrant Hawker flying by above us. The spacing is arbitrary.


Ref: 20141002_df2_20140726_1553_101+102 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight 1+2 of 2 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Aug 2022 at 12:17    Image of day on 22 Sep 2022

Continuing the celebration of Migrant Hawker Dragonflies.


Ref: 20220922_d72_20220808_1217_171-174 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight 1-4 of 4 (accurate montage @8fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Aug 2019 at 12:48    Image of day on 15 Oct 2019

The most numerous Hawker Dragonfly this year is the Migrant Hawker. Here is a male flying by accurately positioned at about 7 fps.


Ref: 20191015_df3_20190829_1248_056-058 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight @7fps 1-3 of 3 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Aug 2018 at 15:03    Image of day on 11 Oct 2018

The predominant Dragonfly here is, as usual, the Migrant Hawker. One evening we saw at least 4 at once hawking over the meadow. Here is one of the males flying overhead.


Ref: 20181011_df3_20180819_1503_035 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight @7fps 2 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Sep 2019 at 15:57    Image of day on 09 Nov 2019

A few Migrant Hawker Dragonflies hunt over the meadow during the warmer parts of the day. Here is one in an accurate montage (so slowing down) with a larger scale portrait from what would have been on the right.


Ref: 20191109_df3_20190915_1557_032-036 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight @7fps 4-7 of 7 (accurate montage) + 3 of 7 insert(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 30 Aug 2022 at 15:47    Image of day on 08 Oct 2022

We have a good number of Migrant Hawker Dragonflies this year. This montage just over half a second of flight catches the chaotic manoeuvring of these insects. Top left downward, then vertically upwards.


Ref: 20221008_df3_20220830_1547_047-051 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight at 7fps 1-5 of 5 (approx montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Aug 2022 at 17:49    Image of day on 16 Sep 2022

Out venerable garage provides a clear backdrop for this male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly flying right to left and in two frame (fifth of a second) has turned completely round to fly the other way. What manoeuvrability!
Of course the cameraman didn't react quickly enough to the reversal and camera panning left lost the insect out of frame :-(
Want to try for a still image yourself: Even top-end autofocus is hopeless unless the background is bland sky, and auto exposure usually goes badly wrong. So you need a camera with lockable manual focus and ability to set shutter speed, aperture and ISO rating in manual mode. Even low-end SLRs can do this although the frame rate will be low.. Typical sunny day settings Shutter 1/1250 Aperture F9 ISO 640 Lens 50 - 100mm focussed about 5 metres away. Shutter button: high-speed continuous.
As you spot a dragonfly flying towards your focus distance, start taking frames until it has passed your focus distance. If you can't follow the action in the viewfinder just learn to point the camera 'blind' with lower enough zoom that it keeps the insect 'in-frame'. Expect a huge failure rate and check that your 'aim' keeps insects mostly in-frame. If you have any successes please send them along!


Ref: 20220916_d72_20220803_1749_356-362 migrant hawker dragonfly male in flight turns back in 200ms (accurate montage @8fps)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Aug 2009 at 15:10    Image of day on 28 Sep 2009

This view solved a riddle hanging over from last year when we caught a 'white faced' dragonfly which escaped from the net before we could identify it. The sex and stage of life vary the body & facial colour.


Ref: 20090928_da1_20090819_1510_072 migrant hawker dragonfly male mature in flight (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Aug 2009 at 15:14    Image of day on 28 Sep 2009

2 Days later a male also obliged with some photos in flight.


Ref: 20090928_da1_20090819_1514_088+1301_039 migrant hawker dragonfly male mature in flight with flag iris fronds (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Jul 2024 at 10:53    Image of day on 11 Sep 2024

And this is a male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly.


Ref: 20240911_r70_20240729_1053_017 migrant hawker dragonfly male partly in shadow(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 18 Aug 2019 at 15:57    Image of day on 10 Oct 2019

As in most years, there are several Migrant Hawker Dragonflies feeding on Midges over the meadow. This male perched long enough for a profile and full 'mug shot'.


Ref: 20191010_df3_20190818_1557_055+064 migrant hawker dragonfly male perched 1+2 of 2 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Sep 2022 at 12:50    Image of day on 23 Oct 2022

This perfect male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly teased us a bit before perching about 2 metres up in a hedge where we could get his portrait.


Ref: 20221023_df3_20220914_1250_051 migrant hawker dragonfly male perched in hedge (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Aug 2019 at 15:03    Image of day on 15 Oct 2019

A male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly perched in shade in the south hedge. It's been too hot for most insects to be out in the sun during the early afternoon.


Ref: 20191015_df3_20190823_1503_577 migrant hawker dragonfly male perched in tree over south hedge(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Sep 2020 at 16:15    Image of day on 20 Oct 2020

The dominant Dragonfly here in this cold weather is the Migrant Hawker. This one is warming itself in the sunshine hanging from an old Blackberry stem.


Ref: 20201020_d73_20200909_1615_074 migrant hawker dragonfly male perched on blackberry stem(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 11 Aug 2024 at 12:23    Image of day on 27 Sep 2024

The Migrant Hawker Dragonflies are now out and about on any warm day. This is a male hanging on some dead hedge wood.
Their common choice of dead foliage to rest on probably provides better camouflage than perching on green leaves



Ref: 20240927_d72_20240811_1223_245 migrant hawker dragonfly male perched on dead stem(r+mb id@768).jpg

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