Blue Metallic

We found only two specimens of this species of damselfly in the location we scouted yesterday, which is worrying; it means they might disappear altogether from this spot.

The species I'm talking about is called banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens), weidebeekjuffer in Dutch. This is the male we saw:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO125, f8, 1/500s}

Here's the male checking me out, with a blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans), lantaarntje in Dutch, one floor up, probably doing the same:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO160, f8, 1/500s}

A female was sitting nearby, but she didn't seem to like the male much; she fled from his advances, or ignored them:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f8, 1/400s}

Not a good start for making offspring. Still, I hope a population survives here; not only is their presence an indicator of good water quality, they are also nice to look at:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f8, 1/125s}

Thanks for watching!