u/ContextNo602

Male of Anax parthenope (Lesser Emperor).

#AnaxParthenope #LesserEmperor #Dragonfly #Odonata #Nature #Wildlife

Male, female and a moment of action at the end of Trithemis annulata.

#TrithemisAnnulata #VioletDropwing #LibélulaPúrpura #Dragonfly #Libélula #NaturePhotography #FotografíaNaturaleza #Odonata

This moment I was able to record seemed especially endearing to me; it looks like the male Stonechat is pointing the way to the bird observatory.

In this video of mine you can first see a female, then an immature male that is still taking on its adult colours, and finally an adult male.

Ever since I was young it bothered me quite a lot that people talked so much about dragonflies — lots of documentaries, lots of publications… but almost never showed the main facet of their lives: “insect hunters”. That’s why I decided to do it myself.

I’m sure the big production companies and the top professionals can do this much better than I can. What I do doubt is whether they think it’s interesting for the public or worth the effort.

Best regards

Here we can see a very characteristic nymph of the family Gomphidae among filamentous algae in a river, accompanied by some of its favorite prey: mayfly nymphs. This is a video filmed in the wild, not in an aquarium.

Best regards.

Beautiful specimens — as I’m sure you already know, you can clearly see in two of them that they are starting to take on the colours of mature males, though not quite fully yet. Newly emerged dragonflies do not usually have the final adult colours; they acquire these after a period of maturation.

Newly emerged adult dragonflies (called tenerals) are typically pale, soft-bodied, and lack the full adult colouration and patterning. The hardening of the cuticle and the development of the final colours take place over a maturation period that usually lasts from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the species and weather conditions.

In the genus Sympetrum (including the Red-veined Darter, Sympetrum fonscolombii), immature males are predominantly yellowish and only gradually develop the characteristic bright red colouration of mature males.

Close-up shot of a damselfly finishing its meal.

I hope you enjoy this close-up video of a beautiful female Emperor dragonfly laying her eggs in deep water among the filamentous algae. Greetings.

Anax parthenope flying at sunset, one of my favorite dragonflies glowing in the golden evening light. Best regards!

Part of a 2-minute mini documentary with English subtitles. Since I wasn’t sure if it would be suitable for the moderators, I preferred to post only the beginning. A lot is said in outreach about the key importance of insectivorous birds, yet they are almost never shown actually hunting their daily food. I hope you like it.

#Mosquiteros #Chiffchaffs #Efímeras #Mayflies #BirdwatchingEspaña #NatureSpain #ObservaciónInvernal #WinterBirding #RíoYAves #RiverWildlife

A moment with a saffron-winged dragonfly that I filmed today. Always so photogenic.

Best regards!

Its coloration, its “immaculate” appearance and its wings suggest to me that this is a very recently emerged individual. I was lucky to be able to film it — it will be useful for the story I’d like to make about this species. Experience tells me it’s likely to stay in the same area for a few days, so I’ll be on the lookout to try and film it more. Best regards.

There have been far more failures than I care to admit in my struggle to capture the best possible footage, as close as possible. Everything is a challenge, but that challenge becomes almost impossible when the focusing distance gets extremely short and the depth of field becomes razor-thin. At that point, even the slightest movement of the focus ring can shift the subject out of the critical plane of focus, just when you are trying to capture it with perfect sharpness.

Here is one rather sad example.

But the struggle continues. It is not impossible—just very, very difficult. With your support and encouragement, I’m sure I’ll eventually get there.

This old male Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), as they mature, males of this species develop their characteristic dark bluish coloration and pruinescence.

Wildlife can be incredibly harsh, and this photo probably doesn't need much explanation.

This old male Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria) shows the kind of wear and damage that can accumulate over a long adult life. As they mature, males of this species develop their characteristic dark bluish coloration and pruinescence.

His wings are heavily damaged, which is likely to affect his flight performance. The damage could have accumulated through normal wear and tear, collisions with vegetation, encounters with other dragonflies during territorial disputes, or attacks from predators. We can't know the exact causes in this individual, of course, but all of these are known sources of wing damage in wild dragonflies.

You've probably seen dragonflies like this before, with heavily worn or damaged wings, and sometimes even missing legs. Life in the wild is not particularly gentle.

Emperor dragonfly flying and hunting along a path yesterday in the height of the summer heat, filmed in slow motion.

I’m really eager to start working with damselflies too, to learn new things about these fascinating creatures that have so much to tell… unfortunately I lack the means, and a lack of means means a lack of time; I hope [to manage it] little by little.

Impressive how this male Trithemis annulata waits and intercepts an insect flying at high speed straight towards him, then another hunt by a female. Hope you like it.

I hope you enjoy this moment I was able to record yesterday when, on my daily walk, I found this beautiful specimen that gifted me a hunt.

It is Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825). It is the only species in the genus Selysiothemis (family Libellulidae). In the obelisk posture in the semi-arid world of ochres and yellows, the dry world where the two of us live. #Selysiothemisnigra #BlackPennant

Se trata de Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825). Es la única especie del género Selysiothemis (familia Libellulidae). En la postura del obelisco en el mundo semiarido de ocres y amarillos, mundo seco donde vivimos los dos. #Selysiothemisnigra #BlackPennant