A walk round the pond - week 21

There is a new kid on the block this week.  I saw this young female broad-bodied chaser (Libellula depressa) in almost exactly the same spot as I first saw one last year.

A few minutes later there was second one

and then an immature male.  As he gets a bit older his abdomen will turn pale blue.  

The broad-bodied chasers were all hunting away from the water but the finding of immature chasers of both sexes two years in a row must mean they are breeding here.

There were also lots of four-spotted chasers this week.  They mate very briefly while flying at at high speed so it is very difficult to catch on camera.  The female then lays eggs immediately while the male circles overhead to ward off any other males while she is doing so.  I'll try to get some photos next week.

Most of the damselflies are large reds and common blues with a few azure and blue-tailed damselflies.

Here is a mating pair of blue-tailed damselflies, the female still showing some immature violet colouration.

This photo shows the comparison between a male common blue (ahead on the left) and a male azure (behind on the right).  They have almost exactly the same colour but different markings.

One thing I have yet to witness is the emergence of a dragonfly or damselfly - perhaps I should get up earlier in the morning.  And considering how many damselflies there are now I don't find many exuviae (the remains of the larval exoskeletons).  Here are a couple side by side.

A new butterfly for the year was this wall.  I only managed one quick photo as it was on the move all the time but it is quite common here so there will be other opportunities.

One butterfly I haven't seen here before is the dingy skipper.  This one looks a bit faded but it was good to see.  It is probably easily overlooked so I'll keep an eye out for more in future visits.

The Canada goslings still number eight and are growing in size and confidence.  An old chap from the village has been feeding them so they now rush across to greet me each time I arrive, even though I have no food for them.  I suppose if you are a goose all humans look alike.

The little grebes are shyer than before.  I could only see three chicks and one adult but, unlike the geese, they now tend to disappear into the reeds when they see me.

There are now lots of bird's foot trefoil flowers which is good news for all the butterflies and insects which like them.

Another new flower this week is this orchid.  Having looked it up I this it is probably a northern marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella).  I know from previous years that there will be many more in the coming weeks.  I haven't looked closely before to see if they are all the same species.