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Migrant Hawker Male

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Migrant Hawker Male
Photo Information
Copyright: Bente Feldballe (milloup) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 538 W: 48 N: 628] (1704)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-09-29
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300XR
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/500 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Flying images [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-09-29 17:15
Viewed: 1285
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta. A smallish hawker, with a very late flight period, being on the wing from August to early November in the right weather conditions.

We've had lousy weather now for quite a long time, so there haven't been many photo opportunities around here. We have seen the sun once in a while, but for short spells interspersed with showers, and I really mean showers, not just slight drizzles. Now the weather has picked up a bit, but in the meantime it has grown rather cool, so I was beginning to think the hawkers might have disappeared by now.
But they're still there, not in large numbers (we never see large numbers) but quite a few are still making merry by the brook in sunny weather. And sunny weather is exactly what we had today, so I up and off to the brook with camera and dog to sit a while watching and snapping photos. I counted 5-6 male Migrant Hawkers + 1 Southern Hawker Aeshna Cyanea. The latter only showed up a few times trying to scatter the Migrants, but he found himself outnumbered and set off for other hunting fields. I saw one couple mating - the other day I saw two pairs, but in dull weather, so no decent photos. I also saw a female laying eggs, but she was skittish and left as soon as she detected my presence across the brook.

This one's the best of today's haul. The background is not very pretty - it's dry reeds and the shadows in between them - but I do like how you can see the neck separating the head from the body. This is only visible from a very limited angle. Don't know why the tip of the tail looks out of focus, I think he was level with the camera, but maybe he was moving the tail in flight.

Preferred environment: can be seen at a wide variety of lowland ponds and lakes including natural and artificial sites. The species can tolerate brackish sites.
Adult habitat and habits: a non-territorial species often aggregating at feeding and breeding sites. Maturing adults favour woodlands and sheltered areas. Aggregations in excess of 1000 individuals have been reported in southern England. At breeding sites males patrol over the water, again without showing aggressive behaviour. Mating is lengthy, taking place in waterside vegetation.
Oviposition site and behaviour: females oviposit usually alone inserting eggs into marginal plants often above water surface or occasionally in bare mud.
Larval habitat and habits: eggs diapause and hatch in spring. Development is rapid and is completed by mid to late summer.
Emergence behaviour: emergence happens at night on emergent and marginal vegetation plant stems.
Range: southern and central Europe north to the Baltic. Absent from northern half of Britain, Scandinavia and Finland. Also in north Africa, the Middle East across central Asia to Japan.
Treatment: Crop, saturation +10, USM and resize.
29-09-04, F-10, 1/500
PDP, RAP, Robbrown, Lesley, AdrianW, marhowie, kikvel, carper, japie, gerhardt, extramundi, mogens-j, ellis49, Callie, Luc, NitzanCK has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To doktorfoto: Autofocusmilloup 1 09-30 18:30
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11733)
  • [2004-09-29 17:32]

Excellent! Well done Bente, I'm very impressed by the detail. Your note makes great reading. Congratulations!

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-09-29 17:52]

En estos días, estoy capturando mis primeras imágenes de estos bonitos insectos y realmente, no puedo imaginar como pueden hacer para captar estas escenas en vuelo con tanta agudeza.
Tal vez esta Bente, sea una de las mejores fotos de estas... por el colorido y por su nitidez, por la exacta eleccion de exposicion y su perfecto foco.
Gracias por compartirla con nosotros.

In these days, I am capturing my first images of these pretty insects and really, I cannot imagine since they can make to catch these scenes in flight with as much sharpness.
Perhaps this Bente, is one of the best photos of these... by the colorful one and its clearness, the exact election of exposure and its perfect focus.
Thanks for sharing with us.

Well this ones been well worth waiting for Bente, the detail in the body and the way we see the legs held against the body for streamlinning. This is vey sharp and clear.only the tail seems soft and I am wondering if its movement , as it seems to be in the same plane as as the rest which is sharp.
I wrote this before reading the notes.

  • Great 
  • Lesley Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 13 N: 913] (2988)
  • [2004-09-29 18:52]

Bente, amazing photo. Not only have you frozen this Hawker in perfect focus, but you have also left just the right amount of space ahead of it. Bravo...well done!

Bente, this is perfect!Good sharpness and composition.Is your Tamron fast enough to this theme?AF or MF?

Bente, Actually that neck is stretching because your Hawker is in hyper-drive!! ;-) Excellent detail & your +10 Sat. was just the right touch I think..Great capture!!

WOW Bente!!!

what a nice shot, surprising!

I see you used a telephoto here. The results are great. Colors, and the catch in plain flight.

Well done.

K.

wauw Bente,
What a capture you mad here, fantastic,
great one, exelent freezing, with the great sharpness and colours, very good job

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1996 W: 107 N: 1897] (5103)
  • [2004-09-30 2:49]

Very well captured. The detail is sharp from "end to end" and the colors great. well done!

Bente, remarkable post. I kinda like the BG. The POV is superb. Showing off the neck.. :) This is an ace note supporting the photo. Thanx for sharing.

Another fantastic flight photo of this creature. We are getting used to this kind of skillful shot here, I am very impressed.

Excellent capture Bente. Spot on dof showing a lot of details in the body and and the movement on the wings is just perfect. To me the background is perfect because you were lucky to get him ecxately when he was hanging in the light area the dark areas contribute as frame.

This great Mogens.
Excellent.
I know how difficult this isbut you manage very well.
Good colours , nice composition and very sharp.
I wish I could give you more than 2 points.
Good note too.
Great job.
Very well done.

  • Great 
  • Callie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1252 W: 106 N: 2657] (7477)
  • [2004-10-04 15:38]

Hi Bente
Lovely blues here in this d'fly. nice action too. Looks like a probe from a SCIFI story!

  • Great 
  • Esox Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 287 W: 27 N: 352] (948)
  • [2004-11-15 12:43]

Fantastic! A great action shot! Amazing details! I like the colours too.
Thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2309 W: 324 N: 4312] (16848)
  • [2004-12-16 18:42]

Bente, what a fantastic POV we have here. Besides, excellent sharpness and composition.

Congratulations.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2058 W: 316 N: 4403] (14709)
  • [2004-12-19 15:47]

Comment est-ce possible que je n'aie pas encore noté cette photo?
C'est une oeuvre vraiment hors du commun et unique sur TN.
Mes félitations les plus sincères, Bente.
Un excellent travail: image et note.
Merci beaucoup!

Great Great Capture.
Well done !

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