I love getting up on the moors at this time of year and seeing some of the very special dragonfly species which inhabit these remote and wonderful places. Pride of place must go to golden-ringed dragonfly, the female of which is the largest of all UK dragonflies. They tend to be around streams of a certain size and they buzz back and forth along the stream, the males fending off competitors and searching for females.
The other star species on the moor is the keeled skimmer. The male is powder blue and a beautiful looking insect, but actually I think that the female is even more beautiful, with blue eyes and a golden abdomen. These dragonflies seem to like even the shallowest of bog pools.
I'm in South Wales this week, and raptors have included several red kites and a couple of sightings of goshawk. I also managed to see a few crossbills and these and the goshawks move my UK year list to 227.
Red-tailed Damselflies? Think you've discovered a new species! Guess you meant Large Red as that's what the final photo shows. Some great shots. Living in the south-east I don't see Golden-ringed too often, but occasionally on the Surrey heaths.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that, I'm glad that somebody is paying attention! I don't know how I came up with red-tailed!
ReplyDelete