Beautiful Demoiselle

Today I went down to a part of the river which is not a nature reserve, in the hope of seeing some dragonflies. Unfortunately, there weren't any and for a while, I didn't think I was going to see much at all. Then I spotted a Small White butterfly on a bramble flower. Got some nice shots of this, but I have already blipped one of these.

The I saw movement over the river and this beautiful demoiselle (isn't the name fantastic?) landed on a reed near the bank. I had the big telephoto on, so I got to within the minimum focusing distance and took several shots. I then changed to the macro in the hopes of getting a close up, but as I moved along the bank to get a better position, it flew off and I didn't see it again. I don't know how well it will show up, but see if you can get a close look at the patterns on its wings.

I continued walking down the river and saw a family of grey wagtails. I stood quietly next to a tree while they worked their way along a pebble bank about twenty yards away, then they crossed the river and worked their way towards me until they were just across the river.

I got a few nice shots, but was handholding the telephoto lens and the shutter speed was a bit slow, so they weren't as sharp as I would have liked.

So, in the end - despite an unpromising start - I managed to get some interesting shots.

On a different note, my wife finished school today - and it has started raining! I'm sure it's only a coincidence, but there does seem to be a link between when the schools finish and when the weather breaks. Mind you, we do need rain. The land is beginning to look parched.

Hope you're having a good week so far.