Ode-vent Day 11

And so we move on to the true dragonflies, starting with the genus Aeshna, or hawkers.  At least eight species regularly occur in Belgium of which the Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta, is probably the most common, especially in September.  Most hawkers can be identified by the mosaic pattern of predominantly blue and green spots along the abdomen, in combination with eye colour, and the presence or otherwise of coloured stripes on the side of the thorax.

Ode-vent Day 10

Of the three European featherlegs, only the White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes) occurs in Belgium.  It is another early-flying species, appearing from May onwards, and is easily recognised by its broad, white legs.

Ode-vent Day 9

There are also two red damselflies and, again, the larger species is the commoner of the two.  This Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) is one of our earliest species to appear, in April and May, the peak time for the much scarcer Small Red Damselfly, which has an all-red body, being July and August.

Ode-vent Day 8

The two redeyes are easily recognised by their bright red, bulbous eyes and best told apart by size, as well as the shape and amount of blue on the abdomen.  This is the commoner Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas), which is generally on the wing a month or two earlier than the daintier Small Red-eyed Damselfly.  Both species are most often found perching on waterlilies and other floating vegetation.

Ode-vent Day 7

There are several bluets in the genus Coenagrion, but all of them have a different-shaped black pattern at the base of the abdomen.  In Azure Damselfly (C.puella), by far our commonest species, this takes the form of an elongated U, somewhat resembling a rugby goalpost.  Other, much rarer and localised species, have markings bearing resemblance to a chalice, a spearhead or even a spider.

Eilat day 5

I just had a few hours on my final morning before heading back to the airport for my early afternoon flight.  After the exertions of the previous day, it was hard to motivate myself to do anything since I didn't really expect to find any new birds.  There had been a very strong southerly wind the previous evening, however, which was whipping the sea into a frenzy more typical of Ostend than Eilat, so I visited North Beach once again, where this Striated Heron was calmly hunting its way along the row of buoys.  On the way there, 3 Common Mynah were feeding in Ofira Park, another species I'd not seen the previous days and which seems to have colonised the whole of Israel since my last visit, when it was only found in the north of the country.  An immature Armenian Gull was the third new species of the morning, thus taking my short holiday list to 77 species in 4 days.  I was also pleased to spot this lionfish loafing around the rocks within the harbour, before returning to the airport and the grey skies of Belgium.

Ode-vent Day 6

The Common Blue Damselfy (Enallagma cyathigerum) is another widespread and abundant species and the only European representative of a mainly North American family.  It is best told from the similar bluets by the distinctive mushroom-shaped black mark at the base of the abdomen.