Dragons be gone!

I think we can safely say that's it for this year and no more Dragons until next Spring. I won't remember 2012 with particular affection and it certainly won't go down as a particularly good year for Damsels and Dragons due to the high rainfall.

The highlight was undoubtedly our Naturetrek holiday to Sardinia, thank you Andy and Gerald, which my long-suffering wife bore with such good grace whilst her hubby crawled around in the undergrowth. The weather was ideal, the hotels were good, the guides were good company and knowledgeable and there was a lively mix of people on the trip. We only saw 14 different Dragons and 8 Damsels but the locations were good and we got very good views. We also saw a huge number of birds and an impressive list of Butterflies.

Debbie and I also got away for two weeks in Cyprus and whilst the selection was not extensive, mostly Red veined Darters, we also saw a few Violet Dropwings which I find very difficult to get a good photograph of so it was good to have a bit of practice.

In the UK Graham and I managed to get in a superb day at Smallhanger where again the variety wasn't great but the views we got of Black Darters, a female Emperor and any number of Emerald Damsels made it a great day.

UK list this year consists of:
6 species of Damsels
12 species of Dragons.

Probably the worst year for a while and even the emergences from the pond were way down on last year with 1 Common Red Damsel and 12 Southern Hawkers (down from 19 last year).

I have started to get to grips with Lightroom and sorting through my images but this will take a while but in the meantime here are a few of this years efforts.

I'm back!

Doesn't time fly when you are overworked and running around all over the country? It doesn't seem possible but I haven't been able to post anything since June due to work getting in the way.

Despite my complaints I have managed to get around and see a few Dragons and other species over the last few months. The highlight was probably a week in Sardinia with Naturetrek on a Specialist Dragon holiday with Andy McGeeney as the Dragonfly specialist. His knowledge of Dragons is undoubtedly unparallelled as opposed to his knowledge of the purpose of the steering wheel and the brake pedal in a car which needs work!

We did get good photos of the Yellow Veined Skimmer which Andy assured us was a rare visitor to Sardinia. He is also responsible for me upgrading to a 5D. I had always held the view that once you reach 12mp there is no point in going higher unless you are going to blow an image up to the size of a house. Once I saw the quality of images on the back of his camera, however, that was enough for me, and once you see your own 21mp images on your computer you will never go back. The full sensor is also superb and I don't miss the 1.6 crop at all.

If macro is your bag have a look at a full sensor camera, the quality will amaze you.

Graham (venerated elder brother) and I have also been trying to improve our UK list despite the best attempts of the Great British weather to thwart us at every turn. We did not get much variety in 2012 but have managed to get some very good views and pictures particularly of Emerald Damsels and Black Darters mostly at Smallhanger.

It surprised me that some of the larger Dragons such as Golden-ringed were out and about in what seemed to be far too cold weather but it was good to have our persistence rewarded.

One query for anyone daft enough to still be reading this dirge; has anyone experience ambush behaviour amongst larvae? I was sat watching a Southern Hawker larvae hiding partly beneath a Pond Lily leaf and striking whenever it calculated a fly had landed close enough on an adjacent leaf. In the 25 minutes I watched it caught 1 fly in 3 attempts. Anybody else with enough time to waste staring into a pond.

I still have a lot of work to do on my images but will gradually get them updated over the next few weeks. Lets face it with the evenings drawing in there will not be much else to keep me out of mischief!

To tide you over here are a few pictures to whet your appetite.

 

 

 

 

 

More to follow once I have recovered from writing this blog!

Stover

Up at 6.30 for an early start at Stover. Left Plymouth in good sunny conditions and within 10 minutes of hitting the A38 the clouds rolled in. Still it's all part of being English.

We saw approximately 4 Blue Tailed and the same number of Common Blue Damsels and not a lot else. Nothing moving and couldn't find anything holed up waiting for the weather to improveme.

We walked down to the river to look at the Sand Martins but the recent rain has undermined the bank where they used to nest and other than 3 circling the area there is no sign of the usual colony.

Carried on and did the circular walk and got some pretty good Spadger pictures from one very accomodating bird collecting food for it's brood.

Will post the pictures once I have had the chance to download.

Then just as we were heading back into Stover we stumbled across a Greater Spotted Woodpecker nest and got some appealing pictures of one of the youngsters sticking it's head out waiting to be fed. As usual wish I had brought the monopod!

Pictures from Garden

I haven't had time to do any work on the photos I took last week so here are a selection I took with just a little noise reduction so far.

 Unknown Caterpillar found in pile of leaves

Going for a stroll

 

 

 

 

 Who are you looking at?

Pair of Pond Skaters fighting over a fly





 Make sure you get my best side!

There be Dragons!!

Tidied up the garden this morning on a sunny warm day and was rewarded by the appearance of 2 Large Red Damsels sunning themselves on the rocks around the pond. Although pictures not brilliant, as far as I am concerned summer starts here!

I am using the Sigma 150mm macro with a Sigma 1.4x converter and am getting reasonable results with my 40D which is a lot easier to keep steady then the 1D although pictures are not as sharp. I will post a few pictures later tonight once I have downloaded them.

Also disturbed a very nervous Frog and dipped a couple of Southern Hawker nymphs. Pond is also home to a good number of Pond Skaters. It always amazes me the number of times I take pictures of Pond Skaters and then find they have caught and/or are eating a fly that I did not notice when taking the shot. Pictures to follow.

Bees a plenty, mostly Buff Tailed Bumble Bees. Hover flies also around in good numbers but very skittish. Also dull brown caterpillar I disturbed when sweeping up leaves. The only thing I have yet to see is a butterfly of any type.

A good day so far and I am headed back out to sit in the sun while it lasts.

Still no Dragons

Meetings all this week, both in Plymouth and London so, yet again, no chance to get out so nothing to report. In Glasgow most of next week but back in time for the weekend so I am hoping against hope that the weather will be decent next weekend and I can get out and get a  few photos under my belt (all batteries now charged).

Weather has also been atrocious in this part of the world so not much insect life around. BDS site seems to back up a quiet start to the Dragon season with few sightings.

Just think how much worse it would be if we weren't in a drought!

I have been spending more time indoors and on trains etc so have had time to look properly at the Dragonflies & Damselflies of Britain & Ireland app by Bird Guides for my ipod. The more I use it the better it seems. It is also much easier to carry around with you then a reference book as it is much smaller and lighter and so takes up less space in your camera bag. £10 well spent if you already have an ipod.

There will always be real potential for confusion on many UK Dragons and Damsels as there are a number with very similar characteristics and I am certainly not an expert and rely on reference books and the ipod app for confirming identification from my photos. It is also essential for rarities such as when my brother casually asked me to identify a Dragon photographed in his garden and I still recall the envy I felt when I realised it was a Vagrant Emperor.

And him a birder to - life is so unfair!

Off to dip the pond before it starts raining again.

Reality check

No posts this week as I have been doing grown up stuff (Sales Conference) so have been in "Buzz Word Mode" all week. No fresh air and endless exposure to gibberish have not made for a pleasant time, although my own hour long presentation delivered after 3 hours sleep with a raging hangover must have been an interesting experience for all present.

I was supposed to be up and out early this morning but to thwart this wife has arranged for electrician to fix a malfunctioning RCD today which means power off all day, so no computers or internet for me and can't leave the house. Only bright side, no power so no DIYing.

Hopefully next post will have something interesting to say.

Whimbrel

As promised suicidal Whimbrel tries to swallow a BigMac(kerel)

Imagine how the fish felt!



Early Morning Exercise

Up early this morning to pick up Graham and drive to Bovisand for a walk along the coastal path towards Heybrook Bay. A nice bracing walk in the usual mixture of hot sun and cold shade, but quite a lot to see although nothing earth shattering.

Highlights were a couple of Whimbrels flying past us, and a female Wheatear on the rocks just below where we were stood. The last Whimbrel I saw was in Costa Rica where I stood transfixed on the beach as a Whimbrel of little brain tried to choke itself by swallowing a fish twice as wide as it's throat. I will look out the pictures and post them.

It was also as they flew by that I realised the battery I had only put in the camera the night before was dead, as was the spare I had with me as a result of them both being picked up from my "to be charged pile". Still we were out on a gorgeous morning in the best county in England so it would be churlish to complain. Also think about the exercise value of humping a large completely redundant camera plus lens around on your shoulder for 3 hours.

Otherwise loads of Chiff Chaffs, a pair of very cute Long Tail Tits and I will resist the temptation to make gratuitous comments about the numerous Shags we saw.

In all 27 birds ticked off and a solitary Speckled Wood along the brambles by the path.

The only other thing of note was one of the Torpoint Ferries being towed by a ridiculously small tug past the Breakwater on its way to a refit at Falmouth Dockyard. Not a lot of shipping movement otherwise, the Brittany Ferry went out as were walking back and the RFA Bay Class Landing Ship Cardigan Bay was at anchor off the Breakwater.

First Swallow

First Swallows of the year seen on the way home last night driving through Roborough Downs, 3 in total, which cheered me up nearly as much as the fact it was a Friday evening meaning no work for 2 days!

Rebuilt the drystone wall and tidied up the trees and bushes on top of it which form our back hedge today. Also replaced a couple of plants choked by the everpresent Ivy we can never seem to get on top of. Still the Wrens love to hide in it so it's not all bad.

Got rid of all the muck on the ponds as well and bought some more pebbles to tidy up the edges and hide the liner which keeps making an appearance. Had a dip and there are a few Southern Hawkers looking like this will be their year for taking flight. Last year was our best year with a total of 17 Hawkers emergening, 14 of which were successful. I supplied most of our friend's kids with Exuvia which was very popular with the kids but not their Mums.

Only one Damsel last year, but the pond is very popular with Newts and I suspect a combination of the Newts and the Southern Hawkers exacted a heavy toll on the Damsel Larva. i expect this year will be the same.

Looking forward to a spell of decent weather to justify getting the Macro out again and hopefully get a few decent pictures. There will be local competion this year as my brother, having moved back to the South West is in the course of building a pond which could be used as an olympic swimming venue. Expect an outbreak of Pond Envy to break out shortly in the Plymouth area.

Back to Work

First day back at the office today, which was hard work, after the extended Easter break. Suggested that a standard weekend was not long enough to my boss and offered to be the Guinea Pig for a 3 day working week trial but he seemed remakably unsympathetic. No people skills at all!


Had lunch at Harrowbeer Airfield but not much there apart from a couple of Wagtails and the usual Jackdaws.


Sat in the Study at home early evening watching 3 Goldfinches having a drink at the pond watched by a solitary Song Thrush. I see a lot more birds in our small enclosed garden since I put in a second shallow pond which I would recommend, particularly to plonkers like me who build the first pond with steep sides all the way round.


Couldn't get a decent picture of the Goldfinches but tried the Lumix FZ35 (OK for landscapes not recommended for birds or insects)and got the backend of a Pigeon!  Perfect metaphor for today,noisey and a bit out of focus. Hopefully weekend will be better and might catch a few early Damsels.

Badgers

Following an unsucessful earlier attempt I was taken to a Badger Sett in the Burrator area on Saturday evening by one of my eldest and longest suffering friends accompanied by my equally put upon elder brother.

Having drawn a blank last time I decided to travel light with just my bins and a bridge camera. As usual this lead to the first Badger arriving only 10 minutes after we arrived and a total of 5 in all cavorting in front of us.

No useable pictures (a lesson to be drawn here) but a memorable experience and we managed to walk back to the car without falling down any holes. To make up for the lack of Badger shots here is a herd of Elephants in Sri Lanka instead!