This was not easy!!!

[moi]

A late afternoon walk along the towpath of the Basingstoke Canal...........up to Papercourt Lock, Surrey-UK.I saw something flashing in and out of the bankside foliage-tiny dark blocks,dancing in the air. So I stood completely still to try and isolate what I was seeing. (Calopteryx splendens )

The male 'Banded Demoiselle'...........'Males are usually territorial, but large numbers can sometimes be found in lush bankside plants and on floating objects. They court females by opening their wings and performing an aerial dance. They are usually found among mature, slow-flowing streams and rivers and sometimes canals.This is a large damselfly with a total length of up to 48 mm and a hindwing length of up to 36 mm.'

Here are the shots.............

ON THE PATH




ON A TWIG OVER CANAL





BALANCED ON BLADE





FINALLY-the close up. My chin balanced on nettles but it was worth the pain.

[sHIMUZUKi]

some great photos there.i don't think i'll be able to catch pics like that soon.thanks for sharing

[moi]

Originally Posted by sHIMUZUKi

some great photos there.i don't think i'll be able to catch pics like that soon.thanks for sharing

Hi sHIMUZUKi..................thank you for the lovely compliments here.

[beachcomber]

And the magician saves their best trick until the last. A good set of pictures had me gasping as I scrolled to Calopteryx splendens-Odonata, an excellent close up with wonderful detail, very impressive high quality work moi

[nswphotos]

I used to walk along Basingstoke canal (Odiham) when I was a lad! What a beautiful shot that last one is!! The colours and crisp clear sharpness in the shot, it was worth the sting from the nettles that’s for sure!
I didn’t feel a thing > lol >thanks for letting us share these pics!

[moi]

Originally Posted by beachcomber

And the magician saves their best trick until the last. A good set of pictures had me gasping as I scrolled to Calopteryx splendens-Odonata, an excellent close up with wonderful detail, very impressive high quality work moi

Hi there Beach! This was one of those times when the stomach is jumping and the breathing is shallow. I didn't know the exact identity of the demoiselle but was delighted by the aerial dance. Thank you so much for the great feedback-much appreciated.

[moi]

Originally Posted by nswphotos

I used to walk along Basingstoke canal (Odiham) when I was a lad! What a beautiful shot that last one is!! The colours and crisp clear sharpness in the shot, it was worth the sting from the nettles that’s for sure!
I didn’t feel a thing > lol >thanks for letting us share these pics!

nswphotos..........isn't the canal beautiful!! I honestly thought that it would NEVER settle within range of the super macro lens. I nearly fell in the canal,I got so excited! Thank you for the great comments.

[Hayward Taylor]

Hi Maureen - these are stunning images ... how ironic that I also went for a walk yesterday .. pretty steady hands on the last photo .. colors are rich .. glad to see you again

[fstopMike]

I'm certainly glad you risked life and limb to bring a shot like your last one to us, because it was really worth it. I've not seen one coiled like that before. Simply extraordinary images and I'm glad you shared them.

[martha36]

Those are stunning shots, and made more so to me because I've been trying to chase dragonflies lately, with no luck!