Ben Cruachan – natural history

Beautiful mild summer day yesterday, sunny and calm, just the shot for hunting dragons and damsels out on the billabong and along the river. The billabong was first port of call and things were in full swing, Blue Skimmers patrolling and still competing for territory, some paired, and while I stood looking, a female was ovipositing in the weedy shallow water right in front of me, dip, dip, dip, with the tip of her abdomen. Damselflies were in good numbers too, Blue Ringtails, Common Bluetails, and Red and Blue Damselflies, some of the latter also paired. I missed getting a photo of the first couple of pairs, but patience was rewarded and I finally succeeded.

The paddock contains several billabongs, filled after the floods, and it was interesting that this one had heaps of odonata, the adjacent one only a very few, and the biggest one none at all. It was possibly something to do with the vegetation, the good one had lots of water buttercup for want of a better name, the second only a little, and the big one none at all, just grass right to the water’s edge. An hour and fifty photographs later I went on and into Bellbird Corner to try my luck along the river, hoping to get some different species. The river had dropped after the latest rise, and was accessible at the picnic area. At first I didn’t see anything, but then some damsels appeared, flying back and forth, and I was in business. Two new ones for me, the Common Flatwing, two individuals of which were very co-operative, and an Orange Threadtail. I was happy to get photos of both, but then when I went to get back up through the wattles on the bank I spotted a pair of Orange Threadtails in the wheel position. They couldn’t have been in a more awkward place, with the sun in the wrong position for good lighting, but the camera did a good job and I managed to get quite reasonable pictures of the loving pair.