Dragons again 22-7-09

Wednesday was a brighter day so I headed again for jimmy's Pond but I checked out the pond from Tuesday pulling in a layby and walking back a bit there it was just yards from a path, but at the side that has no access , still its worth a look now and then , the land looks earmarked for building but there was someone cropping the hay.
The sun came and went plenty of Common Blue Damselflies and Blue -tailed, masses of Butterflies, with the odd Painted Lady, and a few Small Tortoiseshell, but the actual pond had very little it took about an hour before anything showed being a single Red-veined Darter, then Black-tailed Skimmer followed by another this time they alighted on the rushes but only very briefly and would fly off and disappear for ages I was going to leave a couple of times but it brightened up but still nothing more showed.
Cresswell, 30+ Lapwing and a couple of Dunlin,Druridge Pools only had a single Common Sandpiper and the Mute Swans with cygnets which still seem very small, so I thought to try East Chev, at least I could check out the Terns south end of the north pool, but I forgot about the amount of rain we have had so the pool had no dry area several terns plunge bathing including a single Roseate, Common Sandpiper also here.
I think this a Ruddy darter

Red-veined Darter, only this one which showed briefly

Black-tailed Skimmer, at least resting on the stems, albeit very briefly

This caught my eye at first I thought it was just something caught up

but looking closer could see this spider inside, there is something else but can't make it out. I have increased the shadow to make it stand out better

It seems to mantling something, the nearest I can get is Comb Spider??? with egg sac??

Common Sandpiper

Dragonflies or the lack of !! 21-7-09

Tuesday another visit to Wansbeck towards the rear I could see a pond surrounded by bushes etc, so I drove as far as I could down the new estate Seaton Vale building is on hold for the moment , anyway I walked down to the pond nearly completely surrounded with vegetation, a view point from the NE corner looks like its where the geese come out, it is fairly large and well established, 2 broods of Tufted, Little Grebe , several Canada, and a few Mallard, Black-headed on some old fence posts that go through the pond ,no sign of any Dragonflies , but it looks ideal for some species, I could see a road in the background, will check it out , the grass that surrounds it is 4-5 feet high.
The next stop at this pond near Newbiggin, "Jimmy's pond" I think I'll call it ,the one with the Red-veined Darter etc:, wellies on and off I go around and around but alas only a Common Darter for the effort with no sign of it getting any warmer I headed off home . Pond behind the Wansbeck Hospital, that white thing is a sort of bag filled with ,polystyrene, there where a few, the kids probably use them as boats

Common Darter