Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Black Meadowhawk

The walk I was on yesterday morning, 2 September 2017, was actually a birding walk and the only reason I saw this dragonfly was that our leader, Terry Korolyk, had noticed it flying and then landing ahead of us on the path. Had to fully zoom on this and then crop. This outing started near the Visitor's Centre at the east end of Fish Creek Park. After checking the area, we then walked eastward to the Bow River and continued walking north as far as Burnsmead. After returning to the Visitor's Centre, we all drove over to Bankside and did a short walk near the river. An exciting sighting there, just as we were walking back to our cars, was a bird that is rarely seen here - a Turkey Vulture! The bird was flying high overhead. Unfortunately, some people had already left for home earlier, so missed this. At this point, I was planning to go home, too, as we had been walking all morning and it was getting hotter all the time. The temperature reached 32C, and the air quality was not good, thanks to the smoke from wildfires in British Columbia, blowing into Alberta. However, I changed my mind and decided to join the others, driving the short distance to Mallard Point, where we again walked along the Bow River. I had to return to my car a bit before the remaining few, as I could not have walked another step and I was SO hot. The temperature given by my car was 32C, but Terry's account gives a temperature of 37.6C for the temperature at the end of the walk. All I know is that is was HOT! So hot that I just had to pick up a strawberry milkshake on the way home, putting back on all the calories I had walked off during the four hours I was walking! I will add the final list of bird species seen, in a comment box below. Thanks for a great walk, Terry!

We saw this Black Meadowhawk (Sympetrum danae) during our walk in the Weaselhead Natural Area this afternoon. I don't often notice this kind of dragonfly, so that was a treat. Apparently, it is our second most common dragonfly, and easy to recognize because the males are almost black when they have matured. There are eight species of Meadowhawks in Alberta.

A pair of Black Meadowhawk dragonflies mating. Seen on a walk at Beaverdam Flats in the city. "A dragonfly has a life span of more than a year, but very little of that life is actually as an adult dragonfly. There are three stages of the dragonfly life cycle, the egg, the nymph, and the adult dragonfly. Most of the life cycle of a dragonfly is lived out in the nymph stage and you don’t see them at all, unless you are swimming underwater in a lake or pond with your eyes opened, of course.... Adult dragonflies only live about two months." From www.dragonfly-site.com/dragonfly-life-cycle.html . "The male has appendages at the end of its abdomen which help him to clasp the female, and the size and position of these clasps fits only the right species. He may either fly in tandem with the female or bring her down to a stationary position by clasping the back of her head. The male flaps his wings and flexes his abdomen to indicate readiness to which the female responds. They may even curl to make their abdomens meet, in which case they form a heart (also known as the wheel position). Once the sperm is transferred, the male may leave or remain attached to the female to make sure that she does not mate further and in some instances till she oviposits the eggs either on water or by depositing them in plants with the help of her sharp ovipositor." From www.blurtit.com .

This photo was taken on 17th August last year, presumably of a Black Meadowhawk, down in Weaselhead. Having to dig into my Archives is beginning to leave me feeling rather uninspired : (

Saw this dragonfly during a walk in North Glenmore Park.

I think these are perhaps Black Meadowhawk dragonflies, seen in Weaselhead. That's quite a head-hold!