A walk round the pond - week 32

Right on cue, the last emerging species I hoped to see - a migrant hawker.  These photos of a male on patrol were taken this morning.

The first one I saw earlier in the week was high in a hedge.

Many years ago this was called the scarce hawker (when it was scarce) and later it became the migrant hawker (when most examples were migrants from Europe).  Now it is a widespread resident, it would perhaps be better known by its alternative name of autumn hawker.

Females are mostly brown and are even harder to see at rest, but then this morning...

The female has beautifully subtle colouring.  This one is unusual in having blue spots on the abdomen - they are usually yellowish green.  Quite a lot of the female hawkers and emperors I have seen have had blueish (male-type) colouring - it must be something in the water.  This one was in almost exactly the same place as the male had been earlier in the week, also the same place I found broad-bodied chasers in the spring so it must be a special spot for dragonflies.

A ruddy darter was guarding the gate

sharing guard duties with a common darter.

There were lots of common darters with mating pairs,

and plenty of tenerals so there will be more to come.

Ruddy darters are also still common (if you see what I mean).

I saw three or four male black darters but I have still yet to see a juvenile or a female here.

There were no four-spotted chasers for the first time since week 19.  A couple of emperors and a couple of common hawkers were flying earlier in the week but none today so their season may also be over.  The only dragonfly that I thought might appear this year but hasn't is the southern hawker.

This week there were fewer damselflies - almost all were common blues or emeralds and I saw just one male blue-tailed damselfly.

This week's butterflies included common blue, ♂ & ♀,

small copper,

and small heath.

Brown china mark moths are still around.  This is the only British species that has aquatic caterpillars.

And a larger moth - a silver Y.

There were lots of swallows and house martins over the ponds - presumably this year's youngsters have joined their parents and are fuelling up for their long migration.  We also saw a couple of swifts this morning but I think they will be off soon.  And the sloes are just about ready for making sloe gin.