Jim Almond has sent in this fabulous close up of a Broad-bodied Chaser male. These are often the first species to investigate new water bodies and having recently built our pond we have already seen a few visiting males. This medium sized blue dragonfly maybe confused with another – Black-tailed Skimmer. Usually the broad body makes identification easy, but if you’re not sure look for black patches of pigment at the wing bases – if present it’s a Chaser, if not it’s a Skimmer. Shropshire also has 1 solitary record of Scarce Chaser- another medium blue dragonfly. This riverine species will be on the wing now in neighbouring counties so worth bearing in mind. It too has black pigment at the base of the wings (though less than Broad-bodied) and striking blue grey eyes.
And the photos below speak for themselves! Two glorious inflight shots of male Downy Emerald.
