Friday 2 September 2011

Keeled Skimmer.

As you have probably noticed I have been off the grid for a few weeks .... partly due to the lack of wildlife photo opportunities last month while I assisted my parents with hospital visits, shopping, gardening  etc. so I decided to take an enforced rest from blogging.

To kick things off again I located some shots of a Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) that I took during a wander around Thursley Common at the beginning of last month. The mature males are very distinctive with their tapered blue abdomen.

The females (see above) were less obliging during my visit, tending to hide away, whereas the males boldly perched out in the open

The above image clearly shows the long yellow pterostigma which on a similar species, the Black-tailed Skimmer is much smaller and dark brown/black.


Hope you all have a glorious wildlife watching weekend ... wherever you are.   FAB.

20 comments:

  1. It's good to see you back :)

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  2. Lovely images Frank...
    and yes I have missed seeing your wonderful images.

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  3. Wonderful images. I hope your parents are doing OK.

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  4. Good to see you back Frank. Hope your parents are doing better.

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  5. Those are truly fantastic photos of keeled skimmers, Frank!

    Hope you got everyone sorted and settled. Glad to have you back.

    cheers,
    Wilma

    p.s. - I'm back too after missing almost 3 months due to too much to do.

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  6. Hi Frank,

    It is time consuming and tiring taking care of parents. A blogging break is the best thing....

    This year has been so disappointing with regard to butterflies.....I have hardly seen any in the garden, which is most unusual.

    Nice to see the dragonflies are still around. I could see some hunting over the garden yesterday :)

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  7. He is superb. It must be the place that you live in, don't get them round here.

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  8. Amazing photos Frank!
    Hope you manage to cram in some more of your walks & wildlife soon!
    When caring for parents with hospital visits, it can be very time consuming & draining.
    My elderly Mother just spent a week in hospital, operation cancelled 4 times, sent home, now awaiting a further date!
    So, my posts are from past events at the moment, as no time for me & camera.
    Hope you manage to have a Good weekend!

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  9. Hi Frank Good to see you back and with some great images.
    I think we have all been suffering from Blogger fatigue over the last few weeks.

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  10. Frank, Soooooo good to hear from you. I was starting to worry that something had gone wrong. I hope your parents are better and back home and if not, my prayers go out to them. My parents are gone as are my grandparents and all of my aunts and uncles. It's just us siblings and surely miss my family that have passed. I wished I could shoot skimmers and damsels but seldom get a decent shot. I'll keep practicing. Carol

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  11. Nice photos! My sister-in-law called me yesterday and said "Grab your husband and camera", there's four bull Elk out by her house. Alas, by the time we got there, they were gone.

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  12. Wonderful images, I love seeing the closeups if their wings.

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  13. Good to have tou back Frank. Not seen those species before. Nicely captured. Adam @ My Life Outside

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  14. Geesh Frank, you had a nice rest, while we were wondering if you were OK...you were missed. The dragons are great and I especially love the expression that you are getting from the very bottom one...priceless. Don't be a stranger, we enjoy your company~

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  15. Fabulous - dragonfly wings are one of the wonders of the insect world. Wish I could catch them more often. Dreadful day for winged photography today - apart from wasps on our lunch that is!

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  16. ...I've been watching our dragons too. There's so much to learn about them! My fav is the second shot. Love the colors in that one.

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  17. Great Photos Frank as usual - Lee, Lees Birding

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  18. Thanks Tammy.

    Cheers Andrew ... may have to dig into the archives for some new posts!

    Thank you Lois. They are both holding up so far.

    Thanks Red. Appreciate your good wishes.

    Thanks Wilma. We all need a break from time to time.

    Hi Cheryl. My list of butterfly sightings is way down on last year but its good to see a few dragons are still around.

    Cheers Bob. They prefer acic bogs.

    Thank you Shirleyanne. I'll drop by very soon to see what marvels you have posted.

    Thanks Monty. The rough weather may well bring something your way very soon.

    Thanks Carol. Yes, they are both at home waiting to hear what happens next for Dad.

    Hi Mona. Maybe you'll get another chance to capture them very soon.

    Thanks Eileen.

    Cheers Adam. They should be fairly common throughout the western half of Wales.

    Thanks for the concern Mary. Should have another species to show you soon.

    Thanks Ann. It takes a great deal of patience when the conditions are windy!

    Hi Kelly. AND you have far more species to contend with over there!

    Hi euthymic. Thanks for your visit and for joining 'The Early Birders'.

    Cheers Lee.

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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