Subject: [Tweeters] Dragonfies on Vance Creek Trail !!!!
Date: May 3 19:39:10 2009
From: Ruth Sullivan - godwit513 at msn.com


Hello Tweeters,
My intention today going south to hit few spots for passerine's.My first
stop was on Vance creek,but I did not bird there at all since with so many
people taken advantage staying around the pond,for catching fish and having
a picnic.
I decided to take the abandon trail around the small pond.Patrick and I
used to going on this trail in the past ,always having Yellow-rumped
Warblers ,and one time we had a green heron there.Starting on the south side
where an OSPREY who was overhead passing by,there is a nest site on private
property,but he passed this to.A little down the trail I heard at least 3
Common Yellowthroat calling from the wet area to the right followed by the
loud call of 1 Bewick's Wren .There having some nice tall trees,there are
Alder trees where some of the Yellow-rumped was busy feeding on the yellow
catkins.I heard a Towhee and the Foxsparrow make there sharp chink call.The
Sun was out but where I walked you could not tell since everthink is so
overgrown.Than it open up on the north side,no trees but a lot o scrubery Bu
I halted,what I also saw, was
some Dragonflies around the trail I know most all where Ashna-Darners,this
by there size.It's been quite a long time that I ever seeing that many
Darners all in one place .Looking in my bins,I discover ,that all 12
Darners where females.This is real strange,most of the female are not easy
to find,there sitting low for reason that there would be grabbed over and
over by the males.I got to my car and got my camera,and photographed each
one of this Dragonflies.I been going in the past few years doing nothing
than chasing this creatures,and never had this happen.NO MALES around!!!!!
This Darners where so tame and ,that I had a chance to take close ups.I also
discovered that this where California Darners (ashna california).Beside this
I had also the Western Forktails and the Pacific Forktails,This was a real
surprise going on this trail and to discover Dragonflies on this site,it was
EXITING!!!!!
Cheers Ruth Sullivan