Dragon stare

Identification - orthetrum Sabina Sabina.

Day five of the cuckoo wasp hunt. Yes, we have a name for the flying bug now rather than the blue fly. Unfortunately there will be a day six, as it just didn't happen today.

I decided to change strategy for today's hunt and went for a stakeout. I took along a stool and sat in front of a group of creeping foxglove blooms that I had observed used by all the nectar feeders.

The cuckoo wasp was definitely present in the session and flew past me no less than eight times, but it was not stopping to feed. The sixth time, all was explained as two of them flew past. There was a mating thing going on. Although I have witnessed one humanoid female take a snack during mating, it is rare, outside of mantids and spiders were it is a good strategy by the male to distract the hungry female.

After 40 minutes, both I and the camera were cooking badly and so I decided to call it a day. I had enough material to be able to conjure up a blip, well, I thought I did. All the images went into the round hole. As I refuse to but blurry material up two days on the trot, a second safari was inevitable.

This time, I quickly manufactured a shawl from some material I had lying around, to protect my arms and burning legs from the ferocious sun. So after an hour iced coffee break, I was back on my trusty stool, raring to go again, and determined to at least come away with a blip. The shawl was an inspired idea, much safer.

This was a whole lot easier the last time I did a stakeout 18 months ago. With a tripod, I would pre-focus on a bloom and wait. Anything in frame was good, anything in focus was a happy bonus and rarely, if ever happened. Things are a bit different now.

The cuckoo was still around and passed me another six times. It stopped briefly on a bloom in front of me for half a second, but I had not seen the approach and was not ready. So onwards to day six.

I did pick up plenty of other shots this time, some nice butterfly shots and a wasp moth, but this downwards shot of a dragon looking up to the sky is a shot that I have been after for such a long time. Every few seconds the dragon glances up to find a fly. This is a fleeting glance for a fraction of a second, way faster than my trigger finger reflexes, but I nailed it this time.

Dave