my first Broad-bodied Chaser!

[Lesinlondon]

It's a first for me. Pretty darn exciting! Hope I id'd it right, a female.

[ron1863]

Well done - I have never even seen one

[Jason Green]

...you might, Ron - never say never! Oops, I did. Well, you know what I mean!!

Correct, and a nice one Les, these firsts are always exciting! I remember spending about 20mins with my camera trained on some kind of water-lily waiting for my first to land long enough!

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

..... nice one Les, these firsts are always exciting!

I agree. Well done Les.

[JRsbugs]

Nice one Les! I've only ever seen a male 3 or 4 years ago, got a couple of pics with my compact digi at the time.

I was very excited today with a first too! Calliphora vomitora!!

Janet

[Lesinlondon]

Thanks everyone. Really great when you see something so beautiful as this for the first time. I was quite taken! Quote from my blog post today -

.......Anyway, I had hardly arrived when this yellow something flashed by overhead. I thought it looked like a dragonfly, but not like anything I had seen before. It circled a few times, keeping about fifty feet away. It landed a few times, but took flight before I could get anywhere near it. By now, I had identified it as a female Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa). What a beautiful creature! It even beats the Emperor Dragonfly for sheer “wow” appeal. The gorgeous yellow and brown body, and those wings glistened in the sunshine. I was quite taken! If I had had my macro lens attached I would never had got close enough for a shot. But I just had to slip off the Raynox and zoom to 150mm for these shots.

[aeshna5]

Remember immature male (tenerals) also have female-like coloration + take a little while to acquire their blue pruinescence.

Agree they are splendid insects. Some people when seeing these insects describe them as being "a sort of hornet..." when they don't realise what it is!

[Hedge Witch]

Lovely shot Les, do you mind if I ask where you saw it?

[Lesinlondon]

Thanke aeshna. Hedge Witch. Thanks. I saw it at Stave Hill, a small eco park in Rotherhithe, London - Walks With My Camera

[Hedge Witch]

Lovely blog, Les, really well thought out. I can see it's a labour of love