July began with a delightfully-posed Blue-tailed at Pennington.
Calling into Crockford on the way back I bumped into Stephen Darlington. Always a pleasure to meet friends in the field. The Golden-ringed were showing well and even the Keeled Skimmer (even keeled?) provided a pleasant opportunity.
The next great day came at Bramshill where I was delighted to find a patrolling Brilliant Emerald holding territory over one of the small pools.
July’s weather proved to be a little miscreant, and very frustrating in what was prime summer season, so I had to content myself with a few local jaunts. At least I managed to connect with those Red-veined Darters again.
To round off the month I met Jerry (Hawker) for an amble along Ober where despite the lack of action there were still some delights to be had, while August began with a bang with a trip to Essex and a brand new species for me, the quite spectacular Blue-eyed (Southern Migrant) Hawker.
The very next day Sue & I finally met up with Aaron Cook at Bramshill for a spot of filming on what turned out to be an ideal sunny day. Highlights included finding a colony of Small Red-eyed and some magnificent shows by the Emperor.
Even a Common Darter provided a pleasing opportunity.
A few days later I completed the Hampshire species list with a Moorland Hawker at Ramsdown, so provided the weather allowed I could indulge for the rest of the season. Prime hawker season is always a favourite time to spend hours at one site, and Town Common provided a fabulous Black Darter opportunity.
One of my fondest memories from August was watching a female Moorland Hawker spend a long while flying high above a pond waiting for the coast to clear. Fully aware from previous encounters of how shy the female is, I remained still allowing her to accept my presence and provide a marvelous opportunity as she laid her burden in front of me.
A return visit to Bentley Wood provided some excellent damselfly opportunities, including the photogenic Common Emerald.
The day also provided plenty of time to reacquaint with the playful Southern Hawker.
A few days later I finally managed to catch up with the male Moorland Hawker at Ramsdown.
At the start of the month I was asked which was my favourite dragonfly. At the time I chose the Southern Hawker because they have provided many hours of enjoyment, but I have to admit a great affection for the Moorland; probably because of the hours spent in pursuit over the years.
It just goes to show how difficult it is to choose favourites.