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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 29
Image Taken on 13 Aug 2014
at 10:48 Image of day on 22 Oct 2014
This stretch of concrete is a frequent haunt of Migrant Hawker
Dragonflies, and the just cut back hedge provides some well lit
perching places in the morning. This is a male.
.jpg)
Ref: 20141022_df2_20140813_1048_126 migrant hawker dragonfly male perched on freshly cut hawthorn(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Aug 2014
at 10:49 Image of day on 22 Oct 2014
Another view of the same male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly on the same perch.
.jpg)
Ref: 20141022_df2_20140813_1049_134 migrant hawker dragonfly male perched on freshly cut hawthorn(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Sep 2023
at 15:44 Image of day on 12 Nov 2023
This male Migrant Hawker warms on a twig in the fitful sunshine.
The beautiful vivid Blue/Cyan colour is the real appearance.
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Ref: 20231112_df3_20230926_1544_069 migrant hawker dragonfly male resting on twig(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Sep 2012
at 11:10 Image of day on 28 Oct 2012
A side view of the same Migrant Hawker Dragonfly
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20121028_df1_20120914_1110_082 migrant hawker dragonfly male side view (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Aug 2016
at 10:22 Image of day on 07 Oct 2016
This Migrant Hawker Dragonfly was hanging from a broken grass seed head, and
unexpectedly took off as the camera took the first frame. Dragonflies have no
known sense of hearing - their world is almost entirely visual. Anyway, one
thinks of dragonflies as very light - even the biggest in the UK only just makes
it over 1 gram (see Weights of Insects)
But even so this grass head swung back to vertical as the Dragonfly let go of it.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20161007_df3_20160815_1022_001+002 migrant hawker dragonfly male taking off from hanging grass seed head 1+2 of 2 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jul 2026
at 15:18 Image of day on 22 Sep 2026
This is a male Migrant Hawker Dragonfly making one of their lightning turns.
The images are a tenth of a second apart.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20260922_r5w_20260727_1518_315-319 migrant hawker dragonfly male turning sharply in flight @10fps (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Jul 2019
at 09:20 Image of day on 10 Sep 2019
Our first Migrant Hawker this year seen in flight quite soon perched on this
stem where we could get a photo. The wings have not yet finished drying and
clearing so we assume that this individual has emerged from one of our ponds that morning.
.jpg)
Ref: 20190910_df3_20190723_0920_062 migrant hawker dragonfly male with wings incompletely dried(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Aug 2022
at 17:36 Image of day on 30 Sep 2022
These two male Migrant Hawker Dragon flies are NOT a montage. We watched one of
these land to hang in the hedge, and the camera found two almost perfectly
aligned as you see here. The cameraman really did think he was getting some sort
of double image, but quickly realised not, to get this pic. Trying to get a
better angle induced one to take off. The other either took off unseen or just
used it's camouflage to stay hidden.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20220930_df3_20220821_1736_175 2 migrant hawker dragonfly males hanging from hedge branch (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Jul 2026
at 10:27 Image of day on 11 Sep 2026
Dragonflies have started to appear - as usual the most numerous Hawker Dragonfly visitor is the
Migrant Hawker - at the moment we are only seeing females.
This Migrant Hawker Dragonfly at last stops long enough to get a detailed pic.
The term Migrant has been rendered inaccurate by global warming allowing
this species to breed in the UK, and at increasingly northern sites.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20260911_r5w_20260716_1027_008 migrant hawker dragonfly resting in hedge near blocked gate (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Sep 2015
at 14:56 Image of day on 05 Nov 2015
A Migrant Hawker Dragonfly insect catch in a last moment sweep upwards
with legs formed into the 'net' they employ.
We started out assuming that the prey was fairly stationary in
the air, and intending to montage as 3 images with separating
bars, but it turned out that the wind was blowing them both
along, so this is an accurate montage.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20151105_df3_20150911_1456_504-406 migrant hawker dragonfly veering upwards to catch insect 1-3 of 3 (accurate montage at 7fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jul 2026
at 15:51 Image of day on 29 Aug 2026
Hawker Dragonflies have been flashing past us for a few days, and finally this
one stopped long enough to ID as a female Migrant Hawker.
.jpg)
Ref: 20260829_r52_20260707_1551_067 migrant hawker female perched in hedge - 1st positive id in 2026(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Aug 2021
at 12:40 Image of day on 05 Oct 2021
There are perhaps a dozen Migrant Hawker Dragonflies around the house and Meadow.
This one stopped on this twig just long enough to get this pic.
.jpg)
Ref: 20211005_d73_20210823_1240_017 migrant hawker male hanging from twig(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Aug 2022
at 15:14 Image of day on 15 Sep 2022
Here are the same pair more as human brains re-construct the images it gets
from the eyes flitting between the two and re-focussing without you noticing.
So this is a montage of camera frames focussed on each insect in turn.
Hope that you will enjoy this 'impression'.
 9 of 9 (accurate montage for focus)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220915_d72_20220801_1514_030+033 2 migrant hawkers in hedge at blocked gate (female over male) 9 of 9 (accurate montage for focus)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Aug 2022
at 15:14 Image of day on 15 Sep 2022
A 'pair' (one female and the other male - but they don't pair up for more than mating) of
Migrant Hawkers were warming themselves in a well chosen sunny spot at the corner
of a hedge. Here the male is in the foreground with the blurred female behind and left.
The insects are only about 10cm apart, but close-up focus is very sensitive to distance.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220915_d72_20220801_1514_021 2 migrant hawkers perched in hedge tree at blocked gate 5 of 9 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Jun 2010
at 12:45 Image of day on 13 Jul 2010
But mating is a dangerous time where the insects are more intent on what they are doing than
looking out for danger. Sad for the insect, but this sort of thing goes unseen all summer long.
- Top Left: Still in tandem attacked by the moorhen
- Top Right: Couple have separated but female head in the beak and male trapped by wing tip.
- Bottom: Adult has swum over to the chick under the foliage & given them to it to eat.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20100713_dc1_20100603_1245_067+070+095 moorhen adult catching mating azure damselflies & feeding to chick 01+04+29 of 30 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Jun 2008
at 13:58 Image of day on 17 Jun 2008
This is two pairs of Azure damselflies laying eggs in
'Duck' pond among the miniature water lilies and duckweed.
The female on the right has her ovipositor under the water.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20080617_dc1_20080608_1358_039 2 pairs of azure damselflies laying in duck pond (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jun 2010
at 09:52 Image of day on 17 Jul 2010
9 days later we spotted this female Red-eyed damselfly this time with
- wait for it - Red eyes - in a weedy patch 100m from any pond.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100717_df1_20100613_0952_055 red-eyed damselfly female (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 May 2009
at 13:34 Image of day on 16 Jun 2009
A Red-Eyed damselfly with wonderful bronze and bright yellow-green body,
and of course red eyes. This is a female not yet ready to breed.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090616_d01_20090522_1334_192+1123_029 ft1 red-eyed damselfly imm female in flight with blackthorn (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 May 2009
at 13:40 Image of day on 16 Jun 2009
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090616_d01_20090522_1340_214 ft1 red-eyed damselfly imm female on blackthorn leaf side view (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Jun 2010
at 16:07 Image of day on 17 Jul 2010
A red-eyed damselfly without red eyes!
Many damselflies and dragonflies change colour hugely during their lives and this
the form of the immature male - yet to develop red eyes and blue colouration on the
last 2 tail segments. Thanks to Alan Nelson of the
BDS for the ID.
 (montage 1)(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20100717_da1_20100604_1607_359+20100606_1040_001_ft1 red-eyed damselfly imm male in flight with hop sedge (carex pseudocyperus) (montage 1)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
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