Dragon's Alive!

Still battling with my attempt to tidy things up, I only took a quick trip out today to Southwater Country park.
As it turned out it was a good day, and the corner of Ben's field was alive with dragonflies all dipping and gliding and holding spectacular ariel dog fights!
Luckily for me (and the chap I met who was also taking photographs) the sun went behind a cloud and the dragons decided to perch on the brambles that grow in abundance around the bottom corner of the field.
There were, Southern Hawkers, a single Brown hawker which sadly gave me the slip, and this rather handsome Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta. The migrant hawker is a fairly small hawker at 63mm in length, it is unusual in being fairly non aggressive towards other individuals and can sometimes be seen feeding in swarms. They fly from about august late into the Autumn and can be found as late as November.
They can be identified by the 'golf-tee' yellow mark on S2 and the short (sometimes non existent ) anti humeral stripes.
It is common in Southern England and increasing it's range. In late summer the population may be boosted by migrants from the continent.
I love big Dragonflies, they are so beautiful in an odd sort of way, and so nosy. I love the way they follow you around and fly really close.
When I got back to the car, I could hear buzzing, which turned out to be a deer fly, which I instinctively let out...I am cross now, I should have put it in a pot and got some photographs!!! bother!

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