Sunday, April 25, 2010

Two dragonflies

On the trip with Gaelyn we came across these two dragonflies at the Dinosaur Park.
It is a Julia Skimmer and fairly common here.
It was kind enough to follow us and pose nicely for his photo session. :)
The Small Scarlet is not so widespread.

36 comments:

  1. As always stunning photos, I love the small scarlet. Diane

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  2. Thanks Diane. I love the dragonflies but they never seem to settle anywhere long enough to take photographs of them.

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  3. Nice ones, and I am getting more names for the ones I see. how is it this is called a scarlet, there are lots of them here, and the red and scarlet ones being the more of.
    lots of the julia skimmer most of the dragons I have no problem with as long as I stand still they come back to the same place,

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  4. Wonderful. I like the textures of the earth behind the wings. It won't be long before we start shooting dragons up here.

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  5. These were so special. I love seeing them again. Kind of makes me homesick for ZA.

    I'll be offline for a while I think. Puter fixed, heading for the NR today.

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  6. Thanks Tony. Yes they do tend to have the habit of landing back on the same spot so if a person has time to sit and wait for them, they will come back.

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  7. Thanks Steve. Yes, your season is just begining and I look forward to seeing some of your great pictures on them again.

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  8. LOL!! "Homesick for ZA", sounds like I got you hooked my friend. :) Good, that means I can count on you being back next year. :)

    Pleased to hear you have the PC fixed. It is such a bind when they are not working as we do rely on them so much.

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  9. I think I've never seen the Small Scarlet before. Lovely!

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  10. A first time for me too Jose. Found it near Sudwala Caves during my trip there.

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  11. I like them so much:
    They are great predators,like flying Lions.
    Have you ever seen how their mouth works?
    It's incredible!

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  12. Hello Andrea. I am so pleased your computer is working again. You and R are very clever. :)

    They do look a bit like lions dont they? I have seen close-ups of the mouth but now how they work. That should be interesting.

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  13. Really enjoyed these dragonfly close-ups, especially the eyes in the first one and color of the last. Nice captures, Joan!

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  14. Lovely shots Joan. I'm looking forward to chasing dragons and damsels in the Summer. FAB.

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  15. Love them..You got such detail with the face, wings and feet..I can't wait till I see one here....Michelle

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  16. Your photos are just breathtaking. How wonderful that I can hop over here (from the Great Lakes region, USA) and enjoy a glimpse of your beautiful South Africa!

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  17. Thanks Diane. They are amazing critters.

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  18. Thanks Frank. Yes, at last your summer has arrived and the insects too. Hope you get some great shots this season.

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  19. Thanks Michelle. Cant wait to see your shots too.

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  20. Thanks for your kind words and visiting my blog Aisling. This elecronic age of ours is so nice in that it allows us to share.

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  21. Dragonflies are so difficult to photograph if you have a camera like mine and not something with long lenses and quick focus. I got a nice red one the other day which I'm still due to post. I do love your orange one though.

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  22. Great shots Joan, as always :) I really like those eyes on the skimmer, such a beautiful colour. How nice of him to follow and pose for you! ;)

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  23. Joan: Neat photos of the dragonflies, they are back up North and I hope to capture some on film soon.

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  24. I read the posts I missed while I was away. Your pictures of bats are quite nice and the post is informative – I did not know that much about bats. I don’t see them around here. The pictures of the African Goshawk are very neat – it is a great looking bird. Your pictures of flowers and insects are terrific. Thanks for coming to my blog and posting comments, I appreciate it.

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  25. I often wait for the dragonflies too appear in our Boundary Waters Wilderness. Reason: they do a good job in reducing the awful hordes of mosquitoes.

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  26. Very nice details! We have several blues that are the most common here, but I never see red ones.

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  27. Thanks Jonker. I use my P&S for most of my pictures but if I want really close up stuff then the longer lens is very necessary. I waited a long time before I got mine.

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  28. Thanks Leeloo. Sometimes these insects are well trained. :)

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  29. Thanks Tom. Yes, summer is in for you at last. Here, almost all our bugs have disappeared with all this cold, rainy weather we are having.

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  30. Thanks Vagabonde. That was such a stunning post you did and I have really loved the series. As I told you, it is of special interest to me.

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  31. They sure are TB and I like having them around for that reason too plus lizards. :)

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  32. Thanks Mary. Here we do not have that lovely green one I see you posting but reds are common.

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  33. Oh my, I do like that red/orange one. What delicate lacy wings.
    B.

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  34. Joan I think the first dragonfly, we have one here in Canada, never seen the orange one. These are very nice photos. Thanks for sharing again, Anna :)

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  35. You are welcome Anna. The orange was an unusual one for me too.

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