A female Southern Hawker Dragonfly, possibly

I was enjoying being out in our garden cabin, having a late lunch listening to the radio and just watching the bright light warming all comers, including Bomble who stretched himself across the warm stone slabs of the patio.

I took my plate indoors, wondering when Helena would get back from her lunchtime job, when my attention was caught my a flying beast in the corner of my eye. I stopped and managed to focus on a dragonfly that was overhead and saw it land on the hedge near to the house, which has spring clematis, honeysuckle and a vine clambering over each other. I think the red stem is from the vine, whose grapes are quite sweet and well loved by the birds.

I had seen a dragonfly flying above the garden a few days ago and wondered whether I would get a chance to blip one, so now was my opportunity. I knew my camera was in the cabin,nipped down to get it and was pleased to see the dragonfly still perched in the same spot. In fact it didn't move at all, just probably enjoying the heat of the sun's rays on its body to warm it up.

I had very little room to move, in order to get reasonably close without disturbing it. I tried a couple of different angles, hurt my back in the process but managed to get a few sharp shots.

I think it is a female Southern Hawker Dragonfly from my quick search online, or more likely a close variant, but I'm hoping a blipper will as usual have far more knowledge and identification expertise. I think we don't see them in our garden that often because we are not close to open water. There is a stream, the Lime Brook, about sixty metres behind the house but it is down a very steep bank with trees, shrubs and grassland in between.

I now wish I had an extender to give me greater magnification, but I couldn't have set up a tripod in today's circumstances, given the limited space and the time i had to record it.

I had a quick check of the image on the camera screen and then as I looked up it flew away. What a treat for me though.