I took just a short walk to Aylesbeare Common this morning and I managed my first glimpse of a Dartford Warbler just very fleetingly. I was intent on getting this photo of a Linnet and as it flew off into a nearby bush there was a Dartford Warbler just for a fleeting moment. It was a bit of an ant-climax. I had been looking forward to that moment and it came and went before I could even have a good look. Linnets are frustrating to get close to as well, they don’t allow a close approach which probably explains why they are not seen in gardens very often. At least that is my experience anyway. I got totally lost for a few minutes on the common. I was heading for a wood at the bottom of the valley and was sure I knew exactly where I was . I got engrossed in the damselflies at a pond which I stumbled on and finished up getting stuck in a bog! It can be very tiring jumping between solid clumps of grass in between wet sphagnum moss in a peat bog. Trust me on that! Eventually I got back on track and finished up eventually, where I had been yesterday but by now I was getting a bit too tired to make much more effort.

I really like dragonfles and damsels so I was pleased to take these pictures of Large Red Damselflies. Slightly disappointed that they were not a species that I have yet to see but a good workout for my Tamron Macro1-1 lens never the less.

I find damselflies difficult to identify. They vary so much in colour and pattern dependant on age. When they first emerge they can be devoid of colour or very lightly coloured , this can be very misleading. The Damselfy here is a Large Red because they always have black/very dark legs. In my experience a good book is anvaluable and I can thoroughly recommend this one by Britain’s Dragonflies by Dave Smallshire and Andy Swash

Have a look here to read about Collared Dove Youngsters in the Garden.