On the way to Norfolk, news broke that two Lesser Emperor Dragonflies and a Vagrant Emperor had been seen near Ely in Cambridgeshire, so I called in on the way. When I pulled up in the car park, two lads had also called in to see them, so I stuck with them around the reserve.
Ben's Yard
The following Dragonflies were seen as we walked around the reserve:
Common Darter
Emperor Dragonfly
When we reached the north end of the reserve, a Lesser Emperor Dragonfly emerged from the long grass and landed not far from us
The Dragonfly Hunters
Lesser Emperor Dragonfly
As you can see, the Lesser Emperor showed really well, and as we carried on walking, the second one showed up flying around with the Vagrant, but they just wouldn't settle, and only flight views were obtained. They then flew high over the reedbed, and after a frustrating hour they couldn't be found again, even though other people were now turning up on site.
I had had enough now and still had a good two hours' drive ahead of me, so I started to walk back to the car. A Common Blue Damselfly and Common Blue Butterfly were seen on the way back.
Common Blue Damselfly
Common Blue
Bent's yard is a really nice reserve, and I got great views of Ely Cathedral on the way back to the car.
