An Early Riser

I have spent countless number of hours sitting by the pond during the mid to late morning and on several afternoons just watching these damselflies.  Nothing ever happens.  All they do is stay very still on their perch and some of them don't even budge until you get really, really close.  And only then would they flitter away to perch somewhere else and that's it.  

Nothing else happens!

So I'd started thinking perhaps these damselflies preferred their solitude?

It's great in a way because you can get in plenty of photos and these damselflies have such amazing bright colours and are really pretty to look at!  But, isn't the natural instinct always for the survival of the species?   Why aren't these damselflies doing anything?  What is their cycle or pattern of behaviour?

And then, one morning, I finally got to the pond early enough, as the sun was coming up behind the hills, and there they were.  There were a few pairs of these Ceriagrion cerinorubellum damselflies in wheel and in tandem.  

Beautiful!

Finally!

A Morning Jaunt

In recent weeks I have been going for walks in the parks, again. 

And it feels great! 

If I set out early in the morning, it is possible to get my dose of nature for a few hours.  By the time the crowd starts milling in, I would be ready to leave anyway.

It's been great to resume my rendezvous with the dragonflies!

Caught this pair of Orthetrum sabina in wheel on one of those mornings!




The sun had just come up behind these dragonflies..

Love them!
And I love mornings like these!

Got What I Wanted!

I set out on the forest trail the other day, to look for damselflies in particular, and got what I wanted...  the Copera vittata damselflies!

There were two male damselflies and one of them was in tandem with a female damselfly.  I wondered if I had missed the chance of getting photos of a pair in wheel?  Anyway, here is the pair of these damselflies in tandem.

And they were in tandem for a long time, which gave me lots of opportunities to take more photos though not all of them are worth sharing.  It is not the easiest task to hold the camera still when your adrenalin is pumping somewhat and you're trying to inch slowly, hoping you don't disturb the damselflies and lose them while you try to compose the picture.  And you're holding your breath to hold still and then your'e trying to breathe at the same time...

Anyway, after having been in tandem for some time, the female started flexing her abdomen inward and upwards and the pair went into wheel position in a flash. 

I was in luck!

And finally, a pair of Copera vittata damselflies in wheel position!

These damselflies were in copulation for quite a while during which I just sat and waited.  After about 20 minutes, copulation was completed and the pair remained in tandem for a long period before they disappeared, probably for the oviposition.

My next mission is to get photos of an ovipositing pair!

Orthetrum chrysis In Wheel

This is the first time I have managed to get a photo of a pair of Orthetrum chrysis in wheel.

If this pair of dragonflies hadn't been in pursuit by another amorous male, I would not have spotted them from across the pond.

I had to practically run around the perimeter of the small pond as quickly and as quietly as I can to get to them.  I was lucky on this day.  This pair was still in wheel when I got close enough for a photo.

And not just one lucky shot this time, but two!

Based on what I have seen of this species, the Orthetrum chrysis has a very short courtship-copulation period and would usually be in wheel for only a brief moment before they separate.  Almost immediately after that, the pair will fly about to look for suitable egg laying sites before the female begin laying her eggs in the pond by flicking the tip of her abdomen in the water in succession at quick intervals while the male dragonfly hovers over her in close proximity to keep guard and will give chase to other male dragonflies that come too close.

After that, the male will perch nearby in the same vicinity while the female flies away to hide. 

There have been times when the pair gets assaulted by another male before ovipositing is completed and sometimes the female may even be caught by another male before the egg laying can occur.

The whole cycle then starts all over again!

Another First

I finally did go out exploring.....

It was not a long walk but it was a good one.  And that's the whole point of it.  It does not have to take up the whole day but just a bit of an effort to get up and get out there just to do something else for a change.

On this day, I came across the Prodasineura humeralis again and this time I found a pair in wheel, which is a first for me...

 

 

Here is another male damselfly of the same species that was perched nearby.

 

 

Although I had found these damselflies next to a fast flowing forest stream, they were perched on the grassy edge of the stream where the water was just so still, there was an almost perfect mirror image of the damselfly reflected off the water.

 

 

I had a good few hours out there and I felt so much more rejuvenated after a walk in the forest... 

...after my rendezvous with nature.

And I wondered why I have not gone out there for so many weeks? 

I couldn't find a real answer.  I can say that I have been busy with work, I have been tired, I have been doing other stuff, the weather's not been cooperative, I've been under the weather, etc, etc, etc...

All of which is quite true too but are still excuses. 

Who are we bluffing?

For many of us, getting up to get going or getting started on a project or going for a run or finding the time to do something can be a bit challenging and take a bit of an effort sometimes.  It is easy to just procrastinate and to find many excuses for not doing something that would be important for ourselves.  But once you get started and get going, it is not so difficult after all, isn't it?

I hope if you have been putting off doing something important for yourself, you will get to it now.  Why wait till the New Year to make a new resolution?

Do it now.

Go for it!

 

 

Talking About The Blues!

 

There was this one afternoon when there were quite a few mating pairs of Pseudagrion australasiae at the pond and I had a great day taking lots of photos of these damselflies in tandem, in wheel and ovipositing.

The Pseudagrion australasiae of the family Coenagrionidae is very similar to the P. microcephalum in a lot of ways but it is slightly larger.  The P. australasiae has hindwing length of 20 mm and can be distinguished by the marking on S10 and by its appendages.  This species is widely distributed in the Indo-Australian region.

It was quite cool just to watch all of them and learn a bit more about the behaviours of these damselflies.

 

A pair of Pseudagrion australasiae in tandem before going into wheel position.

 

A pair in wheel.

 

Two pairs of P. australasiae, one in wheel and the other in tandem.

 

Two pairs in tandem with the male in contact guarding while the female oviposits into the grassy pond.

 

And I will write about some of the observed behaviours another day.

 

 

Spreadwings In Wheel

It is quite a rare occasion for me to spot two different species of the Lestidae family at the same location in one morning.  I was elated.

Hence, spotting the Spreadwing damselfies in wheel had me jumping for joy.

Literally speaking.

I did not actually jump for joy in the physical sense in case these damselflies take off in flight and I miss the opportunity for a few photos.  Otherwise I would have.

And although I did not manage to get the best photos of these damselflies in wheel position or the "Photo Of The Year" as I like to call it, it was still good to have managed to get a few shots. 

The difficulty was in getting a good angle for the shoot while at the same time trying not to disturb the damselflies and scare them away.  And then there's all the grasses that got in the way of getting a good view.....

Here is the pair of Lestes praemorsus in wheel position.

 

 

I was lucky to have spotted them when I did because I had time for just a few shots before they broke off from the wheel position but remained in tandem.

 

 

Soon after that, the female damselfly started ovipositing into the grassy pond with the male damselfly in contact guarding until the last of the fertilized eggs have been laid.

 

 

I am happy to have had the chance to observe this behaviour of this damselfy species.

 

 

To read more about this damselfly and for more photos, click on 'Lestes' in the Tags below.

 

 

All Abuzz

 

There were dozens of the Diplacodes trivialis in the padi fields this morning.  And I really mean dozens!  As I walked along the bunds cutting through the fields, with almost every step I take, I would send a whole lot of them fluttering around to seek new perches.

 

 

A number of male dragonflies also kept busy engaging in aerial fights to chase away other males of the same species from their respective territories.

I took in the whole sight with a happy heart.  I have not seen so many of these dragonflies buzzing around in a while.  It was cloudy this morning... and in some places in Langkawi, there have been a bit of rain here and there in the evenings though it's been weeks since then.  Perhaps this is indicative of a change in weather patterns?  Perhaps that could explain the abundance of these dragonflies and all the activities? 

It was just the usual suspects up and about this morning.  The other species I spotted were Orthetrum sabina, Crocothemis servilia, Acisoma panorpoides, Brachythemis contaminata, Ischnura senegalensis, Pseudagrion microcephalum and Agriocnemis femina.  Yes, just a few species but there were lots of the Diplacodes trivialis everywhere, which made up for everything.

Anyway, one thing you can count on most days of the year is the Ischnura senegalensis.  Here's a photo of the male and 'andromorph' female in wheel position.

 

 

Apart from the dragonflies, it was also a morning for birds...

 

Little Egret - when breeding, it has long nape-, back- and breast plumes.  The nape plume can be seen in this photo below.

 

Chinese Pond Heron (I've just realised I took photos of the Chinese Pond Heron this same date last year...)

 

Baya Weaver

 

White-rumped Munia

 

Scaly-breasted Munia

 

 

Diplacodes trivialis In Wheel And Ovipositing

Came across this pair of Diplacodes trivialis in wheel recently.

 

 

I couldn't get any closer for more photos as they kept flying away. 

Anyway, once the copulation was complete, the female flew over to a grassy patch on the pond and oviposited here eggs there on her own.  The male was nowhere to be seen at that time.

 

 

I hope to get more photos of this species in wheel one of these days.

 

 

In Wheel And Ovipositing - Copera ciliata

I decided to do a stake-out at one of the ponds this morning.  I have been thinking... if I sit there long enough and keep watch, I would eventually observe something happening, right? 

This theory have been proven true once again.  Towards the end of the stake-out, which actually lasted more than 3 hours, I had to put up with some discomfort from a full bladder but it was certainly well worth it.  After all, the saying that holding back will cause your full bladder to explode is really only a myth.

The stake-out was fruitful and as you can guess, I've got myself more photos of dragonflies and damselflies to add to my collection so I am rather pleased with the whole thing.

Actually, I was hoping to get a shot of the Tholymis tillarga that I have seen patrolling tirelessly at the pond but that did not happen.  Eventually, my focus went to the Copera ciliata instead.  I had posted some info and photos of this species in an earlier article, read it here.

Anyway, here's a photo of the Copera ciliata perched on a grass leaf that is still wet with dew this morning.

 

 

I did not see how it all started but all of a sudden there was this pair of Copera ciliata in wheel right in front of me, so I took tons of photos of them.  Although it was not mentioned in the Pocket Guide, I now know that the female has similar markings to the male and it looks to me that the female is more whitish in colour.  The next photo shows a pair of Copera ciliata in copula.

 

 

And then I sat and waited again.  After quite some time, having finished receiving the sperm pouch from the male to fertilise her eggs, the female straightened out her abdomen but the pair of Copera ciliata continued to remain in tandem for ages and they remained perch in the same place.

 

 

Perhaps due to activities of other dragonflies buzzing around, the tandem pair then flew away to perch on another grass leaf and this happened a few times.

 

 

After that, it was only the female damselfly who would perch while the male damselfly kept his hold on her and remained overhead to guard her.  But all they did was fly and perch, then fly and perch.

 

 

Eventually, while still in tandem, the female started ovipositing her eggs when she stopped at a perch.  The male kept his hold on her and was contact guarding the female all the time throughout the whole process.

 

 

Ovipositing occurred at various locations dispersed over a small area of the pond.  The female damselfly oviposited both into the grass stems above the water and also into the grassy pond.

After that, I lost them.

Even then, I am glad to have observed the wheel position and ovipositing behaviour of these damselflies.  It has certainly made my day!

 

 

Orthetrum testaceum In Wheel And Ovipositing

I am at a lost.....  well, actually, I am lost for choice!

And that is because even as I start writing this, I have not decided as yet on which odonate species to write about.  There are so many different species I could write about and so many thoughts and observations that I would like to put down in writing.

I guess I will start with the last things I captured yesterday so that brings us to the Orthetrum testaceum of the family Libellulidae, which is one of the species of red dragonflies that are common and widespread in this region and usually found in abundance in most places.

I was lucky to chance upon a pair of Orthetrum testaceum in wheel, sat around to observe their behaviour and got a few shots in the process.

Here's the first shot I got of this pair...

 

 

From this angle, it would have been easy to miss the second set of wings belonging to the female that's just dangling there as it had looked like just the male dragonfly perched as usual on a twig.  The pair flew off after that when I tried to get closer for a second photo but I managed to get more photos of them later at another perch.

 

 

Based on observation, I have noted a pair of Orthetrum testaceum being in copula or wheel position for about ten minutes.  So I waited.  This next photo shows the male letting go of his hold on the female...

 

 

He then flies off while the female remain perched on the twig to compose herself.  After that, she takes off to oviposit her eggs by plunging the tip of her abdomen in the water, rapidly making several dips and splashes in the water at various different spots.  The male hovered close to her all the time to guard her and prevent other males from capturing her while she completes laying all her fertilised eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always said that it would not be easy to photograph these dragonflies in wheel as they usually take off at speed while in tandem.  Perhaps the hot weather increased my chances of observing them on this day.  I would never know.  And perhaps it would have been impossible for some other species.  But probably just being at the right place at the right time would make a huge difference to everything too!

That was quite a great day! 

 

 

Orthetrum sabina

 

I see them all the time.  In fact, I have seen them almost everywhere I choose to look, including in my backyard. 

This dragonfly is a common species.  And yet, for some reason, I have taken so many photos of them and put them away and not done anything about them at all so far.  I guess, it just didn't hit a chord with me till now, so I am finally writing about the Orthetrum sabina of the family Libellulidae.

 

 

As you can see, this species is easily recognised by its pale yellowish green pattern and swollen abdomen and according the the Pocket Guide, the male has hindwing length of 32-34mm while it measures 33-36mm for the female.

Anyway, I had a field day with them this morning.

They were just getting warmed up for activity in the early morning sun when I got there.  Soon after that, these dragonflies were buzzing everywhere and were chasing one another all over the place. 

I even caught sight of one feeding on a prey it had caught.  The Orthethrum sabina is seen here feeding on another dragonfly, probably of the Crocothemis species.

 

 

And I finally managed to take a few photos of these dragonflies in wheel.  It is usually not easy to observe or take photos of dragonflies in wheel as they will take flight while in tandem and when you are still quite a distance away.  Besides, they would be zapping all over the place at speed anyway.  Although some species of damselflies may remain in wheel for hours on end, the same can't be said for most dragonflies.  I have, on many occasions, seen dragonflies flying off in tandem but have never had the chance to actually observe them for more than even a second.  In fact, there are still no account of mating behaviour on record for many dragonfly species.

I was lucky this morning.

This next photo is of a pair of Orthetrum sabina in wheel.

 

 

Soon after that, the pair breaks off and almost immediately the female starts ovipositing on her own by hovering just over the water and splashing the tip of her abdomen in the water, repeated at short, rapid intervals at various spots before finally flying away to rest.

Like I said, I had a field day this morning!