Black darter

I was pleased with this as it's the first time I've managed to photograph a dragonfly. It's pushing the camera to its limits and I guess that shows, but I like the background of cottongrass leaves and the fact that at least some parts of the insect are reasonably sharp. The black darter is perched on the head of a cottongrass plant.

Black darters are quite common dragonflies, but are especially numerous on Foulshaw Moss where the eggs are laid in the bog pools scattered across the site.

The location was Foulshaw Moss in south Cumbria, the Cumbria Wildlife Trust Reserve, and the occasion was a dragonfly workshop run by the Cumbria recorder David Clarke. The day was overcast, not perfect for dragonflies, but we saw five species and I learned a lot about a group of insects for which I have a blind spot. There were other highlights too: adder, slowworm, common toad, and a number of tiny young common lizards. Best of all though were the osprey (which flew in from the estuary with a large fish), and not one, but two hobbies, a rare sighting in Cumbria. The hobbies are clearly benefitting from the large population of dragonflies found on this huge raised bog.

A good day, and a change of blip from sunrise shots.