Balsa de Rigedor, Granada Province.

An hour photographing Dragonflies and of the creepy crawlies.

Ornate Shield Bug (Eurydema ornata).

Jayne, Sue, Sam and myself headed off for a couple of hours local Dragonfly hunting at a small pool not too far from the house. As we arrived we met a Spanish chap called Carlos who we had a chat with and exchanged a few site details with. We then started to check the area for insects, the first were several Small Red-eye's (Erythromma viridulum) which were on some floating vegetation near the concrete platform. In the same area we had a couple of nice male Black-tailed Skimmers (Orthetrum cancellatum), Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum), Iberian Blue-tail (Ischnura graellsii) and Blue / Common Emperor (Anax imperator).

Ornate Shield Bug (Eurydema ornata).

Out on the water there were good numbers of Common Pochards (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), Mallards (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis) and around the margins and in the air there were Barn (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) and Red-rumped Swallows (Golondrina Dáurica / Hirudo daurica), House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica), Golden Oriole (Oropéndola / Oriolus oriolus), Collared Dove (Tórtola Turca / Streptopelia decaocto), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala).

Ornate Shield Bug (Eurydema ornata).

From here we moved further around the pool after Carlos called us over to look at a beautiful male Broad Scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea) which kept on returning to the same perch, knowing that this was one of Sues target species which see had seen many time but wanted to get better shots of I let her in to the spot first, this had nothing to do with the fact that there were loads of thistles and spicky plants that needed flattening.
Whilst Sue was getting here shots a cracking male Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria) dropped in right next to the Broad Scarlet. After Sue's great work at clearing the spot I went in and had a go but the Long Skimmer stayed well out range but the Scarlet returned. In the same spot we saw several more species including Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii), Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) and Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata).

Ornate Shield Bug (Eurydema ornata).

Again we moved a bit further around the pool to a patch of white mint plants which were covered in insects including Ornate Shield Bug (Eurydema ornata) in some of it varied colour forms and ages. On our walk back to the car we had some nice views of White Featherleg (Platycnemis latipes), Swallowtail (Papilio machaon), Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria) and Small White (Artogeia rapae). We then headed off home as the temprature was climbing nicely.