Keeling Over

This year has been the best I can remember in Norfolk for Keeled Skimmer.

Look me in the eye

The amazing bi-coloured eyes of a Red veined Darter. Scarce dragon this. Second generations in Norfolk are a real treat.

Migrants?

Not a true migrant but plenty around at the moment. Migrant Hawkers were misnamed.

Empress

A blue flash streaked across the pond the other day. A male Emperor. His antics eventually attracted a female who used the pond vegetation to rest upon as she laid her eggs. Future generations in the making.

 

A convincing Dragon

When you tell your guests that something is quite rare and that we are lucky to see one and then you see nothing but the thing in question it does make you feel a little uncomfortable. It was like that on one of the tours last weekend.

We stumbled upon a small pool where a large tan coloured dragonfly with bold green eyes was patrolling the perimeter; a Norfolk Hawker. Look at any distribution maps for this species in the UK and you will see how restricted its range actually is; confined to a slither of coastline in East Anglia; this is a scarce beastie. We however, couldn’t stop finding them; every ditch and puddle seemed to have one. I’ve never seen as many. I think my guests believed me … as to how fortunate they were. Either way the opportunity was too good to miss photographically.

Mystery Bird – August

Everyone who entered got last month’s mystery ‘bird’ correct. Yes, it was a Painted Lady Butterfly. Not too many of them around this year unlike 2009 when we were overrun with them. The photo was taken at Beeston Regis in Norfolk during that invasion.

This month we continue the non bird theme. Take a look at the photograph below. As normal send in your entry to carl@wildlifetoursandeducation.co.uk.

 

Eventually

At last I managed a few half decent shot of some of the Red veined Darters that have been cropping up around the Norfolk coast. If they weren’t sporting worn or tattered wings they were far too far away or hidden in vegetation. A decent photograph seemed impossible.

As I walked adjacent to a small marsh I noticed this male perched on a grass stem overhanging the path. Although he had a small tear in one wing he still looked resplendent in his red chain mail. He stopped just long enough for me to focus and press the shutter. Click to enlarge.

Too Tatty to be Bothered

It seems improbable but it is not only birds that migrate; some insects do too. Just lately there has been an influx into Norfolk of Red veined Darters; scarce visitors, presumably from the continent. There aren’t many, just a few to be found in some coastal wetlands.

Such a journey eventually takes its toll and I watched an individual the other day that was so worn and tatty it couldn’t even be bothered when a meal flew by.