Lesser Emperor

 On the second of my days off I teamed up with Alan again for a trip to Ravensthorpe reservoir to search for some of the reported Lesser Emperors. In warm though breezy conditions we initially struggled to find our target species and had to settle for views of commoner types.

Black-tailed Skimmer, Emperor and Ruddy Darter

What took me by surprise was the sheer numbers of Common Blue Damselflies, there must have been many thousands swarming around the res. Other damsels seemed few in number with just a few Red-eyed and a solitary male Banded Demoiselle to report. Black-tailed Skimmers were the commonest dragons though as things warmed up Ruddy Darters began to appear. Of the larger species it was Emperors and Brown Hawkers that showed best. We'd walked along the dam and were on the return leg when I caught a glimpse of a Lesser Emperor whilst Shozzer munched on his lunch. A little later on I saw it again and both Alan and I got some great flight views with both the bins and the naked eye. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture, one day I may get a shot of one in the county but for the time being I'm still waiting!

Common Blue and Red-eyed Damsels, Four-spotted Chaser

There were plenty of butterflies to enjoy and once again there were good numbers of new brood Peacocks and Red Admirals on the wing. Painted Ladies are still featuring and many appear to be in good condition suggesting a local origin. On the grassland behind the dam at least half a dozen Small Coppers were noted while species other than the numerous browns and whites included Comma and Small Skipper. A Common Sandpiper was the best bird, initially it was seen on the pontoon near the fishing lodge before moving on to the dam. A family party of Garden Warblers were noted about half way between the dam and the causeway and with a Four-spotted Chaser were the last things of note. As is traditional we ended our day in the pub where a pint of JHB brought things to a close.

Common Sandpiper, Small Copper and Small Skipper