Jaws....

Another hot, sunny day... Lacking a boat to go try to put Swinhoe's Petrel on my Devon List [and yes, my Life List too!] I reckoned it was time for more Odonata hunting!

Inspired by the wonderful shots Karen Woolley got of Scarce Chaser at Brucklands Ponds, and aided by reports of lots of them at Exminster [on a Birding Site That Shall Remain Nameless But Is All We Have Until Joe Gets His Behind In Gear] I went looking for them this morning. The temperature was [at least according to my li'l car's thermometer] pretty much the same as Thursday, but the difference between blazing sunshine with a moderate breeze and calmer, cloudier humidity was marked - much more activity!

The usual horde of Common Blue and Azure Damselflies were interspersed with a few Red-eyed and Blue-tailed - the latter including a very pretty immature female with a pinkish-red thorax [that'll be form rufescens - just starting to mature from the initial pink {he says, reading his book ;) }]. Emperors were very much in evidence - patrolling the canal, the fields, and pretty much anywhere they liked [they being the 500 pound gorilla of the Odonata world :) ]. The wind [which was a bit stronger than I'd like for dragons, but welcome in keeping the heat and horseflies down!] let them glide quite a bit, in turn helping me to get some very nice flight views. One showed an incredible piece of acrobatics to take a bluebottle that was flying across it above it's head! They're big insects, and seeing the sudden burst of agility was surprising - made me realise how most of their 'goes' at other insects weren't even slightly serious....

A couple of Hairy Dragonflies were keeping low and mobile by the canal bank - staying on the opposite side to the local Emperor, and I don't blame them. Eventually found my first Scarce Chaser thanks to an Emperor - he was cruising down a little channel when he feinted to the bank and put up another dragonfly - male Scarce! The Scarce made himself, er... scarce [sorry] but knowing the sort of channel they liked, I was able to find a few more. Only half a dozen, and none posing for me [maybe I should go over to Brucklands...?] - I think they were perching out of the wind - and as the best channel for them had limited views, with the closest areas held by irascible Four-spots, I only got flight views when they patrolled [or fled from Big Scary Emperors].

Have to say that dragonflies were totally upstaged, though! Stood by a footbridge over a nice-looking channel, I was thinking about how clear the water was, and wondering if I might glimpse a dragonfly larva, when I noticed a funny-looking bit of weed, floating just under the surface... Very funny-looking - and it had fins! Only a Pike!!!!!! A young one, about 15cm long, very carefully stalking ickle fishes, I watched it in grinning fascination for nigh on 10 minutes before it finally drifted out of sight. Wow........

All the usual birds you'd expect were present [and singing] - highlight being a 1s Med Gull heading over towards the Exe at midday.

Actually, it wasn't. Yes, in rareness terms it was definitely the 'best bird', but in enjoyment a super-showy Reed Warbler, singing his little head off in a willow tree was definitely the star!