Friday 7 June 2013

Dragons and Damsels

We visited the Caerlaverock Wildfowl and Wetland (WWT) Reserve while we were in the Dumfries area. Our first hotel was literally on the reserve's doorstep (though we hadn't quite realised how close it was until we got there!).

We first wandered round the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve (NNR) enjoying the sounds of skylarks singing (laverock means skylark) and seeing lots of reed buntings in the reeds. Then we walked through Castle Woods (more bluebells!) and looked at Caerlaverock Castle before going to the WWT reserve. the reserve is most famous for its geese, which are winter visitors and so weren't there when we visited. However, we were treated to a wonderful spectacle of dragonflies and damselflies!

We had climbed up the three storey bird hide, which gives wonderful views right across the reserve so you can see all the geese when they're there. It also gives wonderful views of the woodland canopy, which on our visit was full of more dragonflies and damselflies than I've ever seen before! We didn't take photos from up there, but I did capture these close ups. (I'm not an expert on dragonfly and damselfly id so if you think my id is wrong, please let me know!).

 Four spotted chaser
 large red damselfly
This isn't a common blue damselfly as I had originally thought but an azure damselfly. Thans to WWT Caerlaverock for correcting my id via Twitter!

7 comments:

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

Splendid photographs... one day of a summer long ago I remember a scaring buzz, a droning, filling my study, it was a dragonfly that had come in, its blue shades were beautiful on its body, transfixing, as the terrible, powerful sound it produced with its wings....

Little Miss Titch said...

I love your photos!

Ms Sparrow said...

They do add to a summers day!

Larry said...

Love the photos! The one on the bottom looks similar to something we have over here. I look forward to seeing them because it's a change of pace from birds.

RG said...

I'll have to take your word for them - I'm still working on butterflies!

Draffin Bears said...

Hi Juliet,

Love your gorgeous photos and how neat that you were able to get up so close.
Happy weekend
hugs
Carolyn

eileeninmd said...

Awesome captures of the dragonflies and the damsel. They are pretty.