A walk round the pond - Week 37

After walking round both ponds I was thinking of leaving when I saw a female southern hawker dancing in the reeds as she laid her eggs.  There was no chance of a photo and after several minutes I lost sight of her.  With time to spare I decided to look at the hedges again in case she had gone there to rest.  There was no sign of the female but I did find a male, the first I have seen on the site this year.

He hadn't been there half an hour earlier so he was presumably getting his breath back after mating.  Obligingly he flew around me a couple of times and settled close by so I could get a different view.

There were several male migrant hawkers this week, mostly on patrol.

This one is photographed in sunshine and shadow, showing the difference the light makes.

These rather acrobatic common darters were one of many mating pairs.

This is a mature male

and a fairly young female.

The females change colour as they age, usually becoming brown,

but sometimes developing male-type red colouration (known as androchrome).

There was again a single black darter, this one not posing well and sitting in a birch tree.

I saw no common blue damselflies this week and only a few emerald damselflies.  Their season will soon be over.

This female really is emerald green.

There weren't many butterflies this week, mostly speckled woods and a few common blues.

New visitors this week were a couple of mute swans.  Let's hope they nest next year instead of the Canada geese.