Female Banded Demoiselle
Emerging Black-tailed Skimmer
Female Scarce Chaser
We took a walk around Stanwick Lakes on Sunday afternoon, where there were 100s of Common Blues, Blue-tailed & Red-eyed Damselflies including many recent emergents. I managed to disturb a few recently emerged Black-tailed Skimmers too, including the one above that hadn't fully completed emergence. Interestingly, this one had left the water, climbed up the bank, traversed the footpath and found this very precareious dead stem to emerge onto. This was a walk of some 10m and would have meant the larva walked straight passed many suitable emergence supports. Around the Nene by the footbridge, were ~1000 Banded Demoiselle, probably the highest numbers I have seen all year. I also disturbed this recently emerged female Scarce Chaser. I discovered the colony here a couple of years ago, but this is the first proof that they are breeding at Stanwick Lakes.
