Audubon Odonata Survey

Date: April 30, 2008
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Observers: Jennifer Schlick, Terry Saye, Mozart
Weather Conditions: Cool (50s), sunny

Species Seen:

• Beaverpond Baskettail

Comments:
I’ve been seeing Common Green Darners which I assume are returning migrants, and emerging forktails by the droves near the ponds at Audubon.  This is the first stout-bodied dragon I’ve seen this spring.  It was a teneral, and I didn’t have my books with me…  I forgot to photograph the terminal appendage.  It may be a Common Baskettail.  I don’t really know for sure.  But when I did check my books, it looked like the Beaverpond starts emerging a tiny bit earlier than the Common, so that’s why I picked it.  If it is a Beaverpond Baskettail, the eyes will get blue as the teneral body matures.

This isn’t an official survey form… In fact, I’ve turned in all my survey forms for this season. But man-o-man have the meadowhawks been plentiful at Audubon these sunny fall days.  Just thought I’d post this closeup that one of them let me take.

I’ll be back in the spring with more surveys!

Date:  September 18, 2007
Time:  4:30 p.m.
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick, Maddie Schlick
Weather Conditions:  Warm, sunny

Species Seen:

• Shadow Darner

Comments:

This dragon was hunting mosquitoes in my backyard, flying back and forth in predictable patterns making it easy to net! After the in-hand photo shoot, it hung out on the bark of the tree for a few more natural shots.

Date:  August 2, 2007
Time:  5:15 - 6:00
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick, Bob Schlick, Lolli
Weather Conditions:  Very hot, hazy, still

Species Seen:

• Ebony Jewelwing
• Shadow Darner
• Common Whitetail
• Eastern Pondhawk

Comments:
There were at least four of these big darners swooping around near the creek at the park.  The light was perfect to see them snagging smaller insects right out of the air.

Date:  July 30, 2007
Time:  2:15-2:45
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick, John Wilson, Kimberly Green, Robert Lincoln, Kathleen Carolus, Caleb Johnson
Weather:  hot (mid 80s), very light breeze, sunny

Species Seen:

• Widow Skimmer
• Twelve-spotted Skimmer
• Meadowhawk
• Eastern Forktail
• Fragile Forktail
• Slender Spreadwing
• Common Whitetail
• Eastern Pondhawk
• Unknown Bluet

Comments:
It was just a day for dragonfly eggs.  After seeing the Pondhawk at Turtle Pond (see previous post), now we saw a Meadowhawk species with eggs.  In this species, the eggs came out in two rows, single, not at all sticky.  The speed and manner that they came out reminded me of Lucy and Ethyl in the candy factory.

Date:  July 30, 2007
Time:  1:40 - 2:10
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick, John Wilson, Kimberly Greene, Robert Lincoln, Caleb Johnson, Kathleen Carolus
Weather:  hot (mid-high 80s), clear, still

Species Seen:

• Twelve-spotted Skimmer
• Widow Skimmer
• Eastern Pondhawk
• Blue Dasher
• Eastern Forktail
• Yellow-legged Meadowhawk
• Slender Spreadwing

Comments:
Someone caught a female Eastern Pondhawk who was just pumping out eggs.  It was an incredible sight.  Her eggs came out in a big sticky mass.  Click on this photo to see a larger version.

Date:  July 21, 2007
Time:  12:45 - 1:15
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick
Weather:  Partly Sunny, low 70s

Species Seen:

• Ebony Jewelwing
• Twelve-spotted Skimmer  (He just zoomed by me quickly when I was getting in my car to go home.)

Comments:
I wasn’t intending on seeing any dragonflies today.  As I rounded a curve in the trail and came to the creek, I noticed it was swarming with Ebony Jewelwings.  I found a spot where I could sit on the gravel very near a log where the damselflies kept lighting.  They were so “friendly!”  They landed on me and seemed not at all disturbed by my presence.  I got a couple of wonderful closeup shots.  I wish someone had been with me, though.  I would love to have a photo of me sitting in the gravel with 5 or 6 damselflies on me!

Date:  July 20, 2007
Time:  11:45-12:15
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick, Jeff Tome, John Wilson, 14 TechNature Campers
Weather Conditions:  Partly Sunny, low 70s, breezy

Species Seen:

• Eastern Forktail
• Fragile Forktail
• Elegant Spreadwing
• Yellow-legged Meadowhawk
• Unknown Damselfly

Comments:
Well, the kids really stumped me.  I’m hoping Jeremy Martin will read this blog posting and tell us what this damsel is…  (These 2 photographs are of the same individual.)

Date:  July 20, 2007
Time:  11:20-11:40
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick, Jeff Tome, John Wilson, 14 TechNature Campers
Weather Conditions:  Cloudy, breezy, low 70s

Species Seen:

• Sedge Sprite
• Slender Spreadwing
• Eastern Forktail
• Fragile Forktail

Comments:
Every once in a while, the sun would come out from behind the clouds and we were hopeful some bigger dragons would fly…  but no such luck. The kids got really good at distinguishing the difference between Eastern and Fragile Forktails today. There were lots of both!  (The Fragile has no blue at the tip of its abdomen and it has exclamation marks on its thorax.)

Date:  July 20, 2007
Time:  10:45 - 11:20
Observers:  Jennifer Schlick, Jeff Tome, John Wilson, 14 TechNature Campers
Weather:  Cloudy, breezy, low 70s

Species:

• Eastern Forktail
• Fragile Forktail
• Yellow-legged Meadowhawk
• Slender Spreadwing
• Slender Bluet

Comments:
The TechNature kids were great at capturing damsels and dragons for us to identify.  They also practiced their GPS skills to give me coordinates for the survey.  They got quite good at identifying some of the more common species, too.