Mountain Stream Again.
27th July 2021
Thankfully the weather has become more bearable over the last few days with those sultry conditions, especially at night, disappearing. After a previously pleasant morning, photographically speaking, I found myself back at the little moorland stream, (previous blog), which more accurately should now be described as a trickle. Nevertheless, the ‘Dragons and Damsels’ don’t mind these conditions because they are out in numbers, mating and then ovipositing their eggs continuously - time is short for these aerial beauties.
It is also now easier for me to sit on my ‘walkstool’ in the water wearing wellingtons, and wait for one of them to perch on nearby vegetation. Over the last few days the Black Darter dragonfly has emerged, this is one of my favourites, they are so small and delicate and are easily missed amongst the vegetation. They prefer the reeds and long grass to open water so that’s the best place to try and photograph them, because once located they like to return to the same perch time and time again. All a photographer has to do is be patient and keep a reasonable distance to obtain some shots. I waited for some time until I saw a male flying around some reeds and true to form he was perching continually on the same couple of reed stems.
I had to use my Sigma 150-600mm C lens on my Canon 7D ii to get some shots because these dragonflies won’t tolerate close approach with a macro lens. This lens will only focus down to 2.8 metres but with a 25mm extension tube that MFD is reduced by a couple of feet. I set up by sitting on my stool with the lens on a tripod and just waited for him to return. These really are a lovely little creature with a burnt black appearance interspersed with orange markings.
Once I had taken some decent shots I moved to another part of the stream where it flows under a road through a large diameter pipe. This pipe is obviously dark inside and provides a very contrasting background with the bright sunlight outside. I picked a reasonably strong reed stem and propped it up in the stream bed using some small stones right in front of the pipe entrance so if anything perched on this reed then there would make a nice black background. You have to make these perches attractive to your potential subjects or they will just ignore them, (just like Kingfishers e.g.). Sometimes it takes a few attempts because wildlife can and often is very fickle! I again sat on my stool with the Sigma and the 7D ii on a tripod and waited but there was nothing doing. I looked at the other naturally growing reeds nearby and realised that they were all bent over at an angle and my artificially propped reed was almost vertical so I arranged it at roughly the same angle as the others and within a minute a Keeled Skimmer was perched right on it.
It was just at too steep an angle and therefore awkward for them to perch on! I again had some reasonable shots before there was some argy-bargy between the Keeled Skimmer and a Common Darter – the darter must also have fancied the perch. The darter triumphed and I wasn’t complaining because I had some more shots!
However, the Keeled Skimmer had now perched right by the side of me clinging to a tall reed, I reached over quietly for my Macro lens which I had on my Canon 5D iv and just kept leaning closer and closer until I was about six inches away and incredibly it didn’t move.
I find that as long as your movements are quiet and very gradual you can get quite close to some of these dragonflies.
It was quite an enjoyable session and I can happily spend a couple of hours at this location with nobody around but the wildlife.
Later in the day Susan came in to the house to say there was a Southern Hawker ovipositing in one of our garden ponds, a first for the garden.
However, she didn’t stay long and I could only grab a quick shot before she disappeared up and over the trees and into the dimming evening light – a very nice end to the day.
It is also now easier for me to sit on my ‘walkstool’ in the water wearing wellingtons, and wait for one of them to perch on nearby vegetation. Over the last few days the Black Darter dragonfly has emerged, this is one of my favourites, they are so small and delicate and are easily missed amongst the vegetation. They prefer the reeds and long grass to open water so that’s the best place to try and photograph them, because once located they like to return to the same perch time and time again. All a photographer has to do is be patient and keep a reasonable distance to obtain some shots. I waited for some time until I saw a male flying around some reeds and true to form he was perching continually on the same couple of reed stems.
I had to use my Sigma 150-600mm C lens on my Canon 7D ii to get some shots because these dragonflies won’t tolerate close approach with a macro lens. This lens will only focus down to 2.8 metres but with a 25mm extension tube that MFD is reduced by a couple of feet. I set up by sitting on my stool with the lens on a tripod and just waited for him to return. These really are a lovely little creature with a burnt black appearance interspersed with orange markings.
Once I had taken some decent shots I moved to another part of the stream where it flows under a road through a large diameter pipe. This pipe is obviously dark inside and provides a very contrasting background with the bright sunlight outside. I picked a reasonably strong reed stem and propped it up in the stream bed using some small stones right in front of the pipe entrance so if anything perched on this reed then there would make a nice black background. You have to make these perches attractive to your potential subjects or they will just ignore them, (just like Kingfishers e.g.). Sometimes it takes a few attempts because wildlife can and often is very fickle! I again sat on my stool with the Sigma and the 7D ii on a tripod and waited but there was nothing doing. I looked at the other naturally growing reeds nearby and realised that they were all bent over at an angle and my artificially propped reed was almost vertical so I arranged it at roughly the same angle as the others and within a minute a Keeled Skimmer was perched right on it.
It was just at too steep an angle and therefore awkward for them to perch on! I again had some reasonable shots before there was some argy-bargy between the Keeled Skimmer and a Common Darter – the darter must also have fancied the perch. The darter triumphed and I wasn’t complaining because I had some more shots!
However, the Keeled Skimmer had now perched right by the side of me clinging to a tall reed, I reached over quietly for my Macro lens which I had on my Canon 5D iv and just kept leaning closer and closer until I was about six inches away and incredibly it didn’t move.
I find that as long as your movements are quiet and very gradual you can get quite close to some of these dragonflies.
It was quite an enjoyable session and I can happily spend a couple of hours at this location with nobody around but the wildlife.
Later in the day Susan came in to the house to say there was a Southern Hawker ovipositing in one of our garden ponds, a first for the garden.
However, she didn’t stay long and I could only grab a quick shot before she disappeared up and over the trees and into the dimming evening light – a very nice end to the day.