ah and I appear to have a female Banded here, complete with pseudopterostigma
A quick look through the other 40-odd shots reveals the following (heavily cropped) revealing a reasonably sharp detail of that exuvia; who says "spray and pray" isn't good technique?
Marvellous Paul, done my admin job and updated the first posting
All I saw today was the usual Red one and the usual blue one - scrapping a little now and again over the same patch of pond
Taken with my Nikon 300mm f2.8VR … and struggling a bit with noise ……… but cannot really get near them because of the minimum focussing distance
presumably its Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum
The possible Sedge warbler heard not far away the other week though hasn't reappeared
Bill, assumptions are dangerous, and not scientific, it's not a Common Blue damselfly. I keep telling you to pay attention to the antehumeral stripes. On that insect they are rather narrower than on the Common Blue. Also on segment 2 of the abdomen, so just behind the thorax, is a U shaped black mark. On a Common Blue there would be a sort of a ball on a stick mark.
So what you have there is an Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella
Barrie
Paul, two possible explanations for that. [snip]
better not post an image of the "Red one" until I've checked it out - it was quite small