Hawkers

 More dragonfly action from a short Beast walking outing. Taking pictures of flying dragons whilst having a dog pulling on the lead is no easy task so am quite proud of the pictures I managed of Common Hawker (starrlibelle) Aeshna juncea. Although this is the commonest large dragon in most parts of Norway it is not easy to photograph in flight because it flies around too quickly but yesterday I had one that repeatedly hovered close to me and I was even able to get the autofocus to lock on. I also had a Southern Hawker (blågrønnlibelle) Aeshna cynae briefly land on my leg so clearly the Dragon Gods were smiling on me.

Common Hawker (starrlibelle) Aeshna juncea

note how it has its front legs folded up behind its head

This is a different individual. Note how a blurred picture makes the light areas on the sides of the breast look much wider. The width of these is an important ID feature so has to be used with care

here the small yellow spot behind the eye is visible which is also an important ID feature

close up of the face of a Southern Hawker (blågrønnlibelle) Aeshna cynae just after it had flown off my leg and landed on a nearby plant

Southern Hawker (blågrønnlibelle) Aeshna cynaeAdd caption

another species that is difficult to photograph is Brown Hawker (brunlibelle) Aeshna grandis except when the females are laying eggs although it would have been nice if this was a bit closer