Black-tailed Skimmer, Kibblesworth.

First visit to the Brickworks Pools gave me my first Black-tailed Skimmer of the year. Last week at Banks Pond i had hundreds of teneral Damselflies lifting from the grasses surrounding the pools yesterday at Kibblesworth it was the turn of the Common Darters. You could almost feel the panic as these fragile beings lifted in unison from my presence and drop to another area of grassy shelter to enable the maturing process that will see them in the arena that is the pond. Only the mature specimens that are ready to engage in conflict are seen here. They will all get there eventually.
Impossible to count the numbers of Four-spot Chasers around due to the constant squabbles that break out between the perched or patrolling males but there must have been over forty. The females, like the newly emerged, keep away from the water unless they feel the need to oviposit and you can see why as, when they do make an appearance are hassled constantly by male after male. Three sightings of a male Emperor, five mature Common Darters and five sightings of female Four-spots made up the Dragonfly contingent. All the expected Damsels were there in nice numbers. Lots of coupled and ovipositing pairs.
Butterflies abounded.

Male Black-tailed Skimmer, Kibblesworth Brickworks Pools.