Dragonflies and Damselflies

[AlanF]

Great shots, @Maximilian - tremendous start to the season!

 

[AlanF]

Immature Red-eyed Damselfly (R5ii + RF 100-500mm). Flew onto the shelf of the bird hide!

 

[Maximilian]

Great shots, @Maximilian - tremendous start to the season!

Thanks, Alan.

I suppose, I even saw a new species.
Would be #35 here.
But I couldn‘t even get a try on it, as it was just flying fast pass the reeds.
If I got my sight and numbers right, it must have been a hairy dragonfly (Brachytron pratense).
Would be fantastic if we had this rare one here. But I don‘t have much time throughout the next weeks to prove it.

 

[Maximilian]

Female Large Red Damselfly

You mean large red-eyed damselfly?
A pretty young immarture individual.

 

[AlanF]

You mean large red-eyed damselfly?
A pretty young immarture individual.

Oops - Obsidentify had indeed identified it as that. Corrected

 

[Maximilian]

Oops - Obsidentify had indeed identified it as that. Corrected

It is so damn difficult to ID them when they are immature.
I needed ObsIdentify, too, to be sure

 

[AlanF]

It is so damn difficult to ID them when they are immature.
I needed ObsIdentify, too, to be sure

What do you reckon this one is? An immature Common Blue? Obsidentify gives higher probability of a Variable.

 

[Maximilian]

What do you reckon this one is? An immature Common Blue? Obsidentify gives higher probability of a Variable.

Top view on the abdomen would make it easier. especially the first abdomen segment.
But I am very much with you and what ObsIdentify says that it is a immature male Enallagma cyathigerum (common blue/bluet)
Go here:
https://www.libellen.tv/libelle_gemeine-becherjungfer_enallagma-cyathigerum.html (German)
scroll down to the point "Reifezeit" and compare it to the photo of Barbara Bargmann.
Look at the abdomen pattern. I would give it more than the 67% that ObsID tells me.

 

[Njal]

Female and male Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo).

 

[AlanF]

The Four-spotted Chaser season has just started. There was a very unusual one with a pale blue frons, which surprised me when I downloaded (R5ii + RF 200-800mm). (Last one was photobombed).

 

[Maximilian]

Very nice photos, @AlanF , esp. the last one, because of the "intruder"

... a very unusual one with a pale blue frons, ...

Interesting observation.
Couldn't find anything about that in my resources.
Could be a mutation or a state during maturation.
That are the only ideas that come to my mind.

 

[AlanF]

The Banded Demoiselles have started flying (R5ii + RF 100-500mm).

 

[koenkooi]

I haven't seen any dragonflies in person yet, but damselflies are visiting my garden:

20260524 - Canon EOS R8 - RF100mm F2.8 L MACRO IS USM-7.jpg

The wing position was completely accidental, I only noticed when editing, I was too busy with keeping the AF point on the head during shooting.