Pennants mostly during a weekend of odes

On Saturday, July 2nd I drove to Sherwood Pond at the corner of Wear and Sherwood roads near Belleville to again photograph dragonflies. I'd been tipped off that I might find banded pennants here.  I didn't find banded pennants but, amongst other odes, I found halloween and calico pennants.  I spent about an hour and a half slowly walking the east, southeast and south shorelines of this small lake. 

Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) in flight over the pond.

A better shot of the Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella).

Female twelve-spotted skimmer laying eggs over the pond.

Above and below:  female Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)

A stalk over the pond popular with bluets and with a couple of exuvia attached.

A large fish in the shallows guarantees that many ode eggs get eaten.

Above and below:  I had a chance to improve on my shots of the male Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis).

Above and three below:  The beautiful male Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa).

Above and three below:  Another beauty, male Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina).

Halloween pennant missing a piece of its wing.

Later I went to Oakwoods Metropark to find some clubtails - I didn't - but I saw male common whitetails, male blue dasher, and a bluet that was probably new for me.

I was running out of time, but following Oakwoods I went anyway to Point Mouillee where I again found halloween pennant - both male and female.

Above:  Male Halloween Pennant

Above and three below in poor light:  female Halloween Pennant.

Following Saturday's outing I went to Proud Lake SRA on Sunday - not a special trip but near my family's cottage.  I found the marsh trail and could see the odes flying over the pond from the trail.  However there was no easy access to the water that would have given me close shots. Lots of flashy twelve-spotted skimmers and black saddlebags were easy to identify flying over the water.  Bluets were also plentiful. Undoubtedly there was more.

On the trail I made the following three photographs.

Above and below:  I've been through both my beginner's guide and the Paulson guide and I had to ask for help.  These damsels are not identifiable by photo being probably either teneral female Enallagma sp. or Argia sp. 

  

Male White-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum)

Another less rushed trip back to Point Mouillee on Monday morning, the 4th, I found both male and female halloween pennants again as well as many of the other dragonflies that I've already shown.  I did see a couple of new bluets but, being windy, was not able to get a photo in focus.  The video below is of a female halloween pennant hanging on to her stalk in the wind. If your volume is up you will hear the wind and a swamp sparrow chipping in the background.

Although I did not see Banded Pennant, Sherwood Pond was get lost-in-time fun and I'm sure I missed a lot.  Another trip is needed.  Proud Lake was disappointing but I don't know the SRA at all and maybe I was just not in the right area.  A kayak trip down the river would be interesting, but I don't have a kayak and it was super busy on Sunday as I'm sure it is most weekends.  I did not go to Point Mouillee at all last summer so I was way overdue for a visit.  I'm glad I went.  There is always plenty to see.  I did not make it out to the banana or even near, but others reported that the shorebirds are starting to add up there.