Dragony day

There's a small river called the Dene that crosses the Charlecote estate and flows into the Avon, and it's usually an excellent spot to find dragonflies. But when R and I arrived this morning there was nothing to be seen, even when we went up onto the old stone bridge that crosses it to give access to West Park. After a couple of minutes a solitary Common Darter appeared, and then this lone Migrant Hawker, who wasn't especially cooperative, but in the end did hover just long enough for me to get some shots. 

We then continued our walk, and as we crossed the bridge again on the way back out of West park, we spotted what I'm pretty sure was the now almost inevitable Willow Emerald Damselfly, down below us in the reeds. Unfortunately it was quite windy at that point, and the leaves were blowing wildly back and forth with the damsel clinging on grimly for the ride, so I failed to get a photo to prove the record. 

Later in the day I went out to the village pond, and had a lovely encounter with a female Southern Hawker on the narrow path that cuts through the centre of the village. I love the fact that this species will fly right up to you, then stop and hover within touching distance, apparently checking you out. Then, as dusk was falling, I spent quite a while watching Migrant Hawkers hunting insects over mown grass of the pond field. The loops and whirls of their aerial patterns were mesmerising, and I only walked on when it was getting too dark for me to be able to keep track of them.