Dragonfly afternoon

Another hot and sunny afternoon, so I wandered over to the lakes around Hadham Hall with cameras, binoculars, pots and insect net.
Plenty of common blue damselflies (1000's) as well as a few darters, black tailed skimmers and emperor dragonflies near or over the water. Plenty of photo opportunities.
At the main lake, a cormorant and several large but dead rainbow trout. Shall report this to the landowner tomorrow. Maybe the heat but may be something more sinister.
Green woodpeckers, linnets, a barn owl. goldfinches, swallows and house martins were all knocking about and the song of the yellowhammer was a constant companion.
On the butterfly front: gatekeeper, common blue, small and large white, peacock and meadow brown.
A lovely, peaceful couple of hours just sitting, watching and drinking a bottle of beer.

ruddy darter, as below

black tailed skimmer

cormorant drying its wings

cormorant flypast

silver y moth

common blue damselfly

mating common blues

gatekeeper butterfly

egg laying female 

emperor or female black tailed skimmer?

peacock

breeding black tailed skimmers.