End of September Activity

Well, summer is over and the autumn nights are drawing in. Dragonflies are still active though and will be for over 1 month. At Finedon this lunchtime, several Common Darters were ovipositing alongside a few Ruddy Darters. A single female Migrant Hawker egg laying in the reeds and a male Southern Hawker patrolling territory (I still haven't managed a decent in-flight shot of this species). This obliging male Common Darter hovered just in front of me allowing a series of in-flight shots.

White-legged Damselflies still around

I visited the River Ise this windy luchtime. There was nothing flying, apart from 2 White-legged Damselflies flitting around among the reeds. This is a very late date for this species, although the Ise does regularly see White-legs into September.

Loads of Migrant Hawkers about

I am seeing lots of Migrant Hawkers around, especially far from water. Where ever I drive, I seem to see them flying around the roads. At Ditchford on Friday, there were around 100 adults including territorial males, ovipositing females and mating pairs. There was a lot of fighting over territories and great excitement when a female appeared. The sheer numbers made in-flight photography very exciting, and I got a good number of shots. Here are some of my favourites. Also seen, many Common Darters, a few Brown Hawkers, Common Blue Damselflies, one Ruddy Darter and a couple of Banded Demoiselles.