Tuesday, Joan and her PCV colleagues decided to head back to Hinsdale for a re-survey… don’t ask! The weather was looking much better (sunny with a high around 80 deg. F) for odes than the last trip. I decided to tag along again.
I spent most of the day on the causeway at the Hinsdale setback, having a grand time photographing the odes. All but the last three photos were made there.
Early in the outward bound trip, I passed a pair of adult Canada Geese with a single gosling wandering down the roughly twelve foot wide causeway. Eventually they headed for the water with enough warning that I was able to remove the extension tube from the ode rig and make a couple of photos of them in nice morning light.
As I was finding and photographing odes, it slowly began to dawn on me that I was seeing things I was mostly familiar with and no “big river” species. The reason was also slow in coming, but it did eventually arrive… the portion of the river I was exploring is just up stream from the Vernon Dam. Thus, it is much more lake-like than riverine!
After mulling the situation over while eating my sandwich in a small patch of shade, I decided to head south. I had a vague memory that there was a boat launch on the river in Northfield, MA just south of the NH border. My memory served me well and I spent some time at the Pauchuag Brook boat launch. There is a nice stretch of muddy river bank to walk here. I saw only two odes a large clubtail and a damselfly (the penultimate and third from last photos). The dragonfly sat still only long enough for me to get a single frame. The area has potential and I intend to return there at some point.
I was just getting back to the car when Joan phoned saying that she was done. The folks she was with were planning to head south (east?) on route 119, so we agreed to meet at the park along the Ashuelot River in “down town” Hinsdale. While waiting for the group to arrive I, of course, explored the river. Being just below the dam, the river is fast moving here. I observed and photographed a single ebony jewelwing in the maybe ten minutes before Joan arrived.
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I need to finish identifying some of these critters, but have decided, in the interest of having a timely blog post, to put off this onerous chore!
Taneral #1 – that out-of-focus leaf bothers me. Nearly impossible to work around it though.
Taneral #3 – my favorite of the batch
Adult and Gosling – good story
Id Needed (need to be numbered) the 5th ID Ode was tack sharp as well as the 8th ID needed yellow and black ode on the yellow leaf
Comment by Just Joe — 19 June 2014 @ 7:35 PM
8th ID Needed – perhaps the Southern Pygmy Clubtail?
5th ID needed – 4-spotted Skimmer??
Comment by Just Joe — 19 June 2014 @ 7:50 PM