SCOTLAND ODONATA WEEKEND DAY 2

After opening the moth traps this morning and catching some good moths for the area, we headed north under the sun beaming down on us to our first stop, Beinn Eighe in the Highlands.

Beinne Eighe

After arriving on-site, we crossed the peatland, and it wasn't long before I spotted my first Northern Emerald darting past me. Eventually, one landed on the heather, and Dan captured a fantastic photograph of it basking in the sun.

Listed as Near Threatened in the British Odonata Red List 2008. The Northern Emerald is restricted to north-west Scotland, where its known range has increased since about 1990.

Other Odonata on site we saw were:

Golden Ringed Dragonfly

Common Hawker

Target number two on our list: Surely, the Azure Hawker wouldn't be that hard to find. We continued along the road, and our next stop was the Bridge of Grudie. What a place this was! The scenery was absolutely stunning. Now, all we needed to do was find the Hawkers.

River Bran

We all split up when we arrived, and the search began. I walked along the riverbank and found a spot to cross. Soon, I came across some peat pools. At first, I noticed a White-faced darter dragonfly zoom past me before it landed, and then another one flew around the pool.

White-faced darter

Just as I had taken the top photograph and was putting down my camera, a Hawker zoomed in from over the heather. It was an Azure Hawker, and then another one appeared. They flew around for a while while I frantically tried to make phone calls to the others. I watched the two of them for a good five minutes; then, one flew north and right out of view. Unbelievably, the other one landed on my moth net. I took a few shots with my camera, hoping they would be in focus.

Azure Hawker

Listed as Vulnerable in the British Odonata Red List 2008.Found only in Scotland, with a scattered distribution in the Highlands.

Dan eventually arrived, and the Azure provided us with a great performance, but it never landed as we all watched it fly high over the river. Amazing! All target species were recorded in less than 24 hours.

Me and Phil, after seeing the Azure Hawker.

The early afternoon unfolded as we gathered around Glen Torridon for lunch, surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

Glen Torridon

After leaving Glen Torridon, the search for Brilliant Emeralds at Loch Bran proved unsuccessful, with only Downy Emeralds being seen in good numbers. Despite spending several hours looking, the target species was not found. 

An Osprey was also seen, and a juvenile Crested Tit in the area.

Osprey

Crested Tit

After a long day, we headed back to the accommodation, shattered.