Stephen Burch's Birding Website Dragonfly and Damselfly photos 2025

Dragonfly and Damselfly Photos 2025
	Migrant Hawker, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 30 September 2025 Another traditional end of season flight shot but again not at the best angle. Being so late in the season, it took sometime for the dragonflies to get going today, despite the almost 100% sun. Even when they did, flight shots were at a premium with this Migrant Hawker only coming close and hovering once. Due to the wind direction it was facing slightly away from me, as was nearly everything else. Click to enlarge
	Willow Emerald Damselfly, Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond, Oxon. 6 September 2025 A windy day for probably my last visit of the season to this site. There was still a reasonable variety of species around but the wind precluded any attempts at flight shots and any focus stacking. In fact only the Willow Emeralds were posing for photos, in a narrow gap between two large willow bushes. Interesting to see that there has been some habitat maintenance here, but I have information about who did it. Click to enlarge.
	Migrant Hawker, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 5 September 2025 Probably my best ever photo session at this site! Southern Hawkers in flight can be quite tricky but I managed to get onto this one a couple of times. This is by far the better one, with it in full sun. Click to enlarge
	Common Darters in tandem, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 5 September 2025 This tandem pair presented an interesting photo challenge, as their flight was very erratic - often rapidly dipping down to oviposit in the water. Also trying to get an image with both the male and female sharp with good wing positions was almost impossible. But this composite image has done the trick and the join is virtually impossible to see! Click to enlarge
	Common Darter, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 5 September 2025 This single individual was easier to photograph than the tandem pair above, but it only appeared once for a brief hover just about in range. Click to enlarge
	Migrant Hawker, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 5 September 2025 My traditional end of season flight shot - which I have taken most years since 2006! I only got one chance at this today as the spot I was in rapidly became shady and I had to go. Hence although it isn't at the best angle, this may well have to do for 2025. Click to enlarge
	Migrant Hawker, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 5 September 2025 This Migrant Hawker was coming into rest on nearby vegetation and gradually settled closer and closer to me. I like thiis location because of the nice plain, uncluttered background. A focus stacked image for increased depth of field. Click to enlarge
	Common Darter, Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond, Oxon. 22 August 2025 Back to my local site to see what was around. There were surprisingly few Common Darters to be seen in good conditions, and none offering flight shots. This one however repeatedly settled nearby, in a sheltered corner, allowing a focus stack to be taken for this image, with the insect against a dark background. Click to enlarge
	Willow Emerald Damselfly, Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond, Oxon. 22 August 2025 This increasing species was present in higher numbers than last year. Getting focus stacking sequences was tricky given the breezy conditions, so I had many attempts. This one worked out fine. Click to enlarge
	Willow Emerald Damselfly, Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond, Oxon. 22 August 2025 I thought I was try to get a flight shot using pre-capture on my R5 II, but when they flew off they moved much too fast for the AF to keep on them. However, pre-capture can also be used for arriving shots, although the focus remains locked on the perch. After several attempts, this one was, by luck, pretty sharp. Click to enlarge
	Common Darter, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 13 August 2025 My first visit this season to this fairly local site and I was dismayed to find the place full of anglers with only reasonable place left for accessing the water's edge. Once or twice this Common Darter came and hovered for a second or two reasonably close. Click to enlarge
	Blue-tailed Damselfly, Faringdon Folly Park Pond, Oxon. 13 August 2025 This damselfly was a much easier subject for focus-stacking than the Ruddy Darter shown below, with very little/no movement during the sequence acquisition. Click to enlarge
	Ruddy Darter, Tar Lakes, Oxon. 12 August 2025 One of the hottest days of the year so far! My objective for this second visit to Tar Lakes was Lesser Emperor. However I had just one brief sighting of this rarity just after I arrived and before I had the camera ready. Thereafter there was no further sign, so I turned my attention to other dragonflies. This Ruddy Darter was posing nicely but my attempts at a full focus stack sequence were doomed by the wind. So I tried for a partial stack, just using those frames showing the head and thorax. This was much less challenging for the stacking and this is the result. Click to enlarge
	Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond, Oxon. 8 August 2025 It was time to visit this local site again, and I was pleased to find good numbers of Small Red-eyed Damselfly present, confirming that it is one of the best sites in the county for them. This photo is the result of trying a low angle view combined with focus stacking, to give something a bit different from the usual view from above. I like the effect and the focus stacking worked very well. Click to enlarge
	Southern Migrant Hawker, Whitecross Green Wood, Oxon. 6 August 2025 I have been after a further session with this scarce species for a couple of years now, following my first Oxon photos in 2023. The present session was longer and eventually more productive but it took sometime to get to grips with this one. There were two males present on the smaller pond. One or both were coming very close at times, but only rarely did I manage to get onto them in flight. This is a photo from the only time I got a sideways on view and fortunately there was just enough time to get an extended burst of shots. Click to enlarge
	Southern Migrant Hawker, Whitecross Green Wood, Oxon. 6 August 2025 Another flight view, but more head on. Click to enlarge
	Southern Migrant Hawker, Whitecross Green Wood, Oxon. 6 August 2025 Even more head on. Click to enlarge
	Southern Migrant Hawker, Whitecross Green Wood, Oxon. 6 August 2025 At one point this dragonfly started to settle in the pond side vegetation and once or twice it was possible to get an uncluttered background.. Click to enlarge
	Southern Migrant Hawker, Whitecross Green Wood, Oxon. 6 August 2025 Another settled photo, this time showing the back view again with a reasonably uncluttered background. Click to enlarge
	Southern Migrant Hawker, Whitecross Green Wood, Oxon. 6 August 2025 Crop of another settled photo. Click to enlarge
	White-faced Darter, Tulloch Moor, Speyside, Highland, Scotland 13 July 2025 With no sign of any White-faced Darters at the "fire pool" near Loch Garten, we tried this site where I had success with finding immatures way back in June 2010. It was quite late in the season for this species, and the problem with this site (unnamed lochan at NH960163) is its boggy edges which prevent a close approach to the emergent vegetation around the fringe of the water. However we eventually found a spot where we weren't too far from the water and started to see White-faced Darters in amongst the more numerous Four-spotted Chasers and Black Darters. Photography was difficult because of all the vegetation, distance and the light direction. These three shots are all big crops and the best I could do in the circumstances. This shot shows the white face clearly. Click to enlarge
	White-faced Darter, Tulloch Moor, Speyside, Highland, Scotland 13 July 2025 See above.. This rear view shot shows all the unique (in the UK) red markings on the abdomen and thorax. Click to enlarge
	White-faced Darter, Tulloch Moor, Speyside, Highland, Scotland 13 July 2025 See above.. The side view. All these WFD photos were focus stacked for improved depth of field. Click to enlarge
	Golden Ringed Dragonfly, Lochan Mor, Speyside, Highland, Scotland 12 July 2025 Today was even hotter than yesterday at Kinlochewe (see below) and there was a reasonably amount of activity at this nice looking lochan. Unfortunately little was perching in the heat. My only close dragonfly photo of this Scottish trip! Click to enlarge
	Northern Emerald, Kinlochewe, Highland, Scotland 11 July 2025 While travelling from the Isle of Harris to Speyside, we were able to make a small diversion to revisit this site at NH022625, which had produced a Northern Emerald last year in a brief brighter spell. Today, however, the conditions were very different with hot, sunny weather, seemingly ideal for dragonflies. But surprisingly there was little activity with just this male occasionally patrolling the clearing by the picnic table. It settled low down a few times but could never be located before it was flushed. It also settled high up in small tree but that didn't produce a worthwhile photo. A female also appeared very briefly and oviposited in the tiny pool about 30m NE of the table. Other species here included the odd Common Hawker and a Common Darter, neither of which posed for photos. This flight shot is an extreme crop which has come out OK, given its distance. Click to enlarge
	Emperor, Grove Meadows Storm Water Pond, Oxon 17 June 2025 My first flight shot of a female Emperor as it was moving from one ovipositing site to the next. Click to enlarge
	Emperor, Grove Meadows Storm Water Pond, Oxon 17 June 2025 In the very warm conditions, the male Emperors were bombing all over the place, so no chance of a photo of them. However this female eventually came closer in its ovipositing. Here I am trying to get the camera angle low as that gives a more impressive photo in my view. I also got a few images with the camera on the ground but they were spoilt by an intervening stem. Click to enlarge
	Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Grove Meadows Storm Water Pond, Oxon 17 June 2025 With the continuing warm/dry weather, it was no surprise to find my first SREDs of the season here at this normally good site for them. There were only a few around today but hopefully numbers will increase as the season progresses. Click to enlarge
	Large Red Damselfly, Boundary Brook NR, Oxford 13 June 2025 A disappointing visit to this local nature reserve, with the water levels low in all the ponds due to the prolonged drought. I could only find a few damselflies and there was no sign of anything larger. This is a heavy crop of a focus stacked image obtained using Photoshop for the stacking which in this case did a better job than Helicon Focus 7 that I have used previously. Click to enlarge
	Emperor Dragonfly, Earth Trust by River Thames downstream from Clifton Hampden, Oxon 30 May 2025 I noticed this individual was sometimes being held up by the strong breeze today and was almost stationary. So I positioned myself on the southern edge of the first Earth Trust pool to see what I could get. This is probably my best result, with the dragonfly almost level with me. Taken with the x1.4 TC on. Click to enlarge
	Hairy Dragonfly, Earth Trust by River Thames downstream from Clifton Hampden, Oxon 30 May 2025 After my Emperor stint (see above), I moved to the other end of the pool without much joy. However as I was leaving in the dull but warm conditions I noticed this dragonfly settle into a clump of vegetation. It was difficult to get a clear shot but I eventually found a position. The wind prevented any attempt at a full focus stack, but this image came from two frames combined. Click to enlarge
	Downy Emerald, Orchard Lake, Radley Lakes, Oxon 23 May 2025 I've been after more flight shots of this species using my latest photographic gear for some years now. At last today I went to a reasonable location found already by others. However despite the amazing AF on the R5 Mark II, these shots were not easy at all. The wind may have been to blame, but these dragonflies hardly ever stopped moving and hovered for long enough to get on them. With some perseverance I managed to get this shot of the male, which benefitted from some weak sun to improve contrast. For this session I used the electronic shutter and was pleased to find no clear evidence for rolling shutter effects on any of the images. Click to enlarge
	Downy Emerald, Orchard Lake, Radley Lakes, Oxon 23 May 2025 This is a female and was ovipositing in the little bay I was watching; something I have never seen before. Click to enlarge
	Hairy Dragonfly, River Thames downstream from Clifton Hampden, Oxon 1 May 2025 Previously this stretch of the river has been favoured with a good number of Clubtail records. So with Clubtails already reported from the Goring area, I thought I would try this location further upstream and a new site for me. I didn't find any Clubtails but at one point this Hairy Dragonfly was patrolling close in up and down the near bank. It never stopped moving so a difficult subject but I got one burst with focus lock on as it was flying away, from which this photo was taken. Thereafter I didn't manage to get anything further in focus and it then vanished! My first in-flight photo of this species. I now just need another with the dragonfly more sideways on, or coming towards me. Larger in the frame would be good too! This was an extreme crop. Click to enlarge
© All pictures copyright Stephen Burch

	Stephen Burch's Birding & Dragonfly Website
Home \| Trip Reports \| Gallery \| UK index \| Oxon pics \| UK pics \| Dragonflies \| Other Nature \| Contact \| Links