A Day of Emperors

Last week on Thursday it was sunny for a change so it was off to look for Dragonflies , it took me about twenty minutes to find the first Emperor of the year , but the problem with these on a sunny day is they just fly and fly it patrolled in front of me but try as I could ,it was impossible to get a fix on it, occasionally it flew up and caught an insect but they are so fast I couldn't see what happened to it . A cloud covered the Sun and it settled on the rush stem but a bit to far away . Wandered looking for other photo  subjects a Spider with a Large Red Damselfly caught my eye , having taken this I turned and there just a couple of yards away a coupled pair of Emperors what luck and they where accessible so I rattled a few shots off , this is when a tripod would be handy as the camera and lens was getting heavy , but how do you set up a tripod without chasing away your subject .

 Later I caught up with it again as it chased another Male , brilliant afternoon just getting absorbed in the action. 

Emperor Anax imperator

 They always land facing the direction of the Sun so when it returns they are warmed up immediately

  A difficult shot trying to get it in flight ,but now it's against the light

 This Spider must have  finished with this Large Red Damselfly because it isolated it then cut the thread letting it fall to the water. Turning from this to see this ........

 Doesn't look the most comfortable mating pose and look how hairy the body is  

 As they where already landed I don't know how long they where coupled , but the Female finally struggled and freed herself and they both flew off would have been a wonderful moment for video !

 I tried to get some close-ups of the Males head but vegetation  across the view blurred the shots slightly , you can't always see this in the viewfinder

 Another Spider catches a Large Red and comes down to secure it

 The Male settled a few more times , this below could have been a nice shot but again leaves obscure it slightly

Another flight shot I have taken better but today was just glad of the chance to catch up with some Dragonflies

Dragons "n " Spiders

In search of dragonflies ,at least two things are essential location and weather , and as you probably figured out the weather can be a problem, Dragonflies need the warmth of the Sun to enable them to fly and somewhere to come together to breed so a nice pool of clean well vegetated water that is not likely to dry out  is easier to find , but frequent visits are required to find out if Dragonflies have found it suitable to there needs , so another visit to Great Park development site a day of cool temperatures when the sun was not out so only intermittent activity the smaller damselflies will just drop down into the grass and I'm not sure if they just hang around or actively crawl around in search of prey such as Midges , while the larger Dragonflies will fly to nearby trees and either hang facing the direction of the Sun and wait till it warms them again or go underneath leaves for shelter.  

This Four Spot Chaser rested briefly in the grass before flying out of sight 

Skipper

 Not sure what  this is ,very common here could have come in with imported top soil, Edit ,Cut Leaved Cranesbill

 Small Tortoiseshell

 Red Admiral resting on Stinging Nettle

 Another Four Spot Chaser a plaer individual

 Azure Damselfly

15 Spot Yellow ladybird less than half the size of Seven Spot

 Female Gloworm

 A Common Wasp near its nest burrow all that soil to it's right has been excavated from the hole top of photo

Another photo of the first Four Spot Chaser 

 The following Spiders where a remarkable sight there where over 100 individuals spread over the warm sheltered rocks at the time I had no idea what was going on I thought there where two species involved I figured these where carrying egg sacs and some that did not have them I thought where males but smaller black individuals with club like feelers where gently reaching out till they touched the females a very delicate operation.
Some inquiries revealed these are Pardosa  Wolf Spiders so named as it was thought they hunted in packs. I think these could be Pardosa amentata the females do indeed carry the egg sac around (some species leave them underground and bring them out in the sun for warmth)attached to their spinners and when ready to hatch the female tears open the sac and the young climb onto her back and stay there till there next body change . The male has club like palps that actually carry sperm and the action noted was the male trying to mate with the female via her epigyne located under the front of the body.


I only wish I had a decent video close-up of the interaction still not sure why there was so many around I will check them out again and try and find a female  with the young on her back 

 Apparently some species will prey on the young Spiderlings ,, I wonder what these three are up to !!!

 Male lower he gently reaches out with his palps perhaps to see how receptive the female is

 Most of the females  seemed to be carrying sacs

Female 

Wheetslade

Last week on a very hot day  I headed over to Wheetslade to have a look for any Dragonflies , this area is actually quiet large covering I believe an  old mining site , I presume the hill is what was once termed a pit heap, when I was younger there where numerous pit heaps in the area , some smouldered from fires deep inside giving  off obnoxious smelling gases , probably left to there own devices they would have taken many years to have had a self seeding population of grasses and flowers there are excellent views from this hill , most of  Northumberlands  reserves and parks are from a direct or indirect cause of mining and most have a water feature in the form of a pond or two.I located numerous Four Spot Chasers , a few  Blue tailed  and Common Blue  Damselflies  but only in small numbers , and sites checked later that are nearer the coast and therefore cooler still have none so it's a bit  of a slow start again for Dragonflies / Damselflies this year. A large number of singing Meadow Pipits  in the area numerous Whitethroats  but only one Lesser  a calling Green Woodpecker  and numerous Swifts and swallows over the pools and feeding along the hillside in the lea of the wind . Rather disappointing visit given the good weather and I think perhaps next visit I will come in from the Wideopen side,but check it out if not just for the view from the hill !!!! 

 This Dandelion , one of natures miracle packages of seed distribution , was in the shade and despite the very hot morning still has dew on the top.

 Lots of Ragged Robin out in small patches

 Tried my hand at the Swifts overhead without much success

 Four Spot Chaser

Classy Ibis @ Cresswell Pond

Just a few shots from the past few days not been much around the doors till the Glossy Ibis turned up, it led me a merry dance on Saturday morning and it's a thank you to all that kept the messages up to date so we could eventually get to see it , it could not have ended up in a better spot giving good views to all that turned up , I got some digi shots and some flight shots which turned out to be not as good as I had thought , I am definitely not a photographer , anyway it was a cracking day out , a great bird for the County . I should have been out more lately ,trying to find something after all somebody has to !!!!!!!!
Black Tailed Godwit Bothal Pond (north )
2 Wheatears Cresswell Pond
3 Buzzards
2 Sparrowhawks
Quail calling or was it a nokia
Plenty of Migrant Hawkers still around

Three beside Woodhorn flash

These Flies at Druridge all the same bit of tree a further 6 or so out of shot

Adult Med has returned to Briardene car park ..........dont't forget your bread

Rats coming to discarded fish & chips at Shields fish quay

There used to be some white winged Crows along St Marys this at the fish quay very strong pattern of white in the wing

stopped at Tynemouth boating lake for the gulls but they all flew off as I went around to get the light behind me ............should have brought those fish & chips

Just got back to the car when this Barnacle dropped in , be a good patch tick for someone {:)}

Digiscoped looked OK on the camera monitor, still I tried.

and a couple as it flew past ,looks rather awkward in profile but it could move swiftly as it rapidly became a mere dot in the sky !!!!!!!!

Just having a coffee outside when I got back home when this Hedgehog came for a drink in the bird bath, always great to see them in the garden...................

That was the week that was !!!!!!!!!!!!

Just catching up on whats been happening or not in this case, spent last weekend camping at Wooler, but absolutely lousy weather Bank Holiday Monday at Glendale Show but not my cup of tea, an evening down at the bridge saw several Daubentons Bats but far fewer than I have seen in the past, there is a very large encased pipe that you could walk on across the river and the bats used to whip past you, but alas now its fenced off plenty of Tawny Owls calling for what seemed like most of the night........... one remark heard as a couple packed their gear away at the site which I thought was humorous (posh voice) " Darling where do we keep the Arxe !!!, your bag or mine ".
Called in at Blyth harbour on the way to St Mary's and the erection of more gates and fences, looks like it's turning into area 51, making Winter Gull watching very difficult if not impossible.
Several Roseates on the rocks but well out , a couple of Whimbrel over but rather quiet.
Had five Migrant Hawkers in a small group all hung up within about 10' of each other and 2 on the same branch but in thick cover so all distant shots also Peacocks a few Painted Ladies Red Admirals & Tortoiseshell and a very raggy Wall Brown, on to Cresswell the water level is up again as you probably already know and the strong wind didn't help either , 5 BlackTailed Godwits, 2 Bar tailed , Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank & several Dunlin dropped onto the sandbank but all left very quickly, what looked like Little Stint up at the far end still on the main pond but right of that small mound with the channel behind, it stayed there even when everything else flushed .