It's That Time Of Year

Apologies in advance for some of this, but it's been a hot ratty day of multiple annoyances. I blame the time of year; all those kids going back to school are sending out waves of suffering and it's affecting the rest of us...
;)

Set my alarm this morning, as the fools liars weather forecasters said that there would be mist and murk around the coast first thing, with the sun gradually burning the cloud off inland.

For those of you not reading in this part of the world, that was a very inaccurate forecast. It started clear and almost cloudless and stayed that way. Hot sunny day with a few little white fluffies. Oh well.

After looking out the window, swearing, going back to bed, then getting up much later...

Today, with it being all hot and sunny, I decided to try chasing odonata in September! Shock! Eventually getting going late morning, I wandered not too far and ended up at Stover. This would be ok, I thought, as all those 'orrible noisy brats adorable little kiddiwinkies would be back at school, getting tortured an education. Not so much. Many many kids, plus the inevitable roaming dogs [[the latter despite some lovely new and quite graphic signs about what loose dogs do to nesting birds. But since when did irresponsible dog owners notice any signs?]]. Oh well.

I had a look about, also had some lunch, then went on to Little Bradley, which contained absolutely nobody! It also now contains the lens cap from my big lens, due to circumstances that belong in fiction and have no place in the real world. If it hadn't been mine I fear I would have done myself a disservice from laughing...
Imagine you've got your camera on a strap over your shoulder while you're standing on the little dipping jetty thing. Then you see your lens cap rolling along the hand rail, dropping off onto one of the planks of the stage, rolling halfway along that, then falling over the narrow gap towards you, before tipping back into said gap, to vanish into at least three feet of weedy water under the jetty. All of this just out of your reach.

Its only a lens cap.

I did see 12 species of odonate, which was nice. There was still an Emperor patrolling at Bradley, but the Big Bad Dragon duty is now mostly done by Southern Hawkers. Tons of Common Darters all over the shop, with the odd Migrant Hawker or Keeled Skimmer for variety. Taking pictures of dragons in the heat is often an exercise in insanity, especially darters, who are very good at buggering off just before you're ready. Also in not coming back to a perch once you've set up on it.. Drat.

Best bird was a funny-looking Chiffchaff.