What was it doing?

[Brocktor]

i was in the middle of learning to light fires by a boggy stream and i heard a fast repetitive burping sound - i thought it was a small toad.
i looked over and it was a dragon fly splashing his butt in and out of the water (pointing his stinger into the water) - also his wings slapping the surface which made the distinctive sound. first i thought it was killing some insect, but i saw no insect, as i got too close it went a few feet away then minutes later came back the the exact spot making me think the was something there. i guess it also might of been cleaning? it was a large yellow and black one
can someone tell me for sure

also today i gathered some oak wood from 'the line' between tonteg and efail isaf to carve a spoon.

[Ed]

You may find it was a 'her' .... laying eggs .... I'm not exacly sure when they mate or lay eggs so I could be totaly wrong. I dont really know that much about them except they are fascinating to watch.


Ed

[Spark]

I would agree with you there Ed. I was also told dragonflies lay their eggs by dipping their butt in the water while I was fly fishing with my Uncle.

[JonnyP]

Lol.............Yes, laying eggs, and no stinger either, they can bite though.........

[wingstoo]

Hi Folks,


Found this link to a Dragonfly information page...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly

LS

[fred gordon]

I recently spent a fascinating half hour watching a dragonfly laying eggs like this. It just went on and on diping its tail into the water. I understand that they attach the egg to some underwater vegetation each time and they lay 100's of eggs in this way. The larvae when it hatches lives in the water for up to 3 years and when fully grown can tackle whole tadpoles or even small fish. Quite a monster the dragonfly nymph.

[Moonraker]

What a lovely moment. Thanks for sharing the experience.

Was it one of these, a female Golden Ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) ? (colouring does vary). I photographed this beauty last year at about this time too.



It's status is 'common' and distribution covers your patch, a riverine species of southern England, Wales, Lake District and western Scotland. And it's one of the largest dragonflies found in the British Isles. Check the link above for more details.

[Spikey DaPikey]

Great photo !!

[Brocktor]

ah, thanks guys - that option did not even occur to me. i guess i am nieve thinking all animals reproduce in spring. fred, did u have a look if u can see the eggs? maybe its worth me taking a couple trips back to see the larvae too.
yes thats what it looked like, golden. true, great pic, its sitting on a nice flower plant too.

[scanker]

Excellent photo. I saw an Emperor Dragonfly chase and perform a mid-air capture on a butterfly when I was out the other day. Amazing acrobatic performance to watch.

[Moonraker]

Thanks for the kind words


I was able to get right up close and see the wonderful detail of this beautiful insect:

Golden Ringed Dragonfly - Detail



Golden Ringed Dragonfly - Macro Detail





Sometimes the most wonderful worlds are in front of our noses....

[JonathanD]

splashing his butt in and out of the water (pointing his stinger into the water)

Not a stinger (they don't have a stinging function), just his butt. They can bite if you try and pick one up though, although this is rare.

[British Red]

Fatastic photos Moonraker - truly inspirational