Damsel Days

Dog days
With the temperature soaring to 32 degrees there has been a ' super' emergence of damsel flies from the Filter Beds. Mostly red eyed and common blue damselflies, there are also broad bodied chasers and southern hawker dragonflies over at FB 7. The sheer numbers are incredible and inevitably some are caught by car windshields, as they drift across the Portsmouth Road into gardens, along The Mall and Westfield Road. Last year, several were given as gifts to local cat owners and I ended up with many body parts to identify. 

Red eyed damselfly
Focus your binoculars over the water and see their hovering flight low over the water's surface, as they make sorties to capture prey or see off rival males. Also look at the sycamore trees growing close to the railings where you might observe pairs mating in the 'wheel' formation

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