Black Saddlebags dragonflies (Tramea lacerata) are definitely migrating through my area. I have seen more than a dozen of them overhead during several visits this week to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is really cool to see them hawking for insects in mixed groups that include Common Green Darners and Wandering Gliders, two other species that also migrate.
These three species spend most of their time in flight—they eat while they are flying—and it is rare for me to see one perched. Still, I track them and chase after them, hoping that these long-distance dragonflies will eventually come down to earth for a rest.
On Thursday, my patience was rewarded and I was able to get some shots of perched Black Saddlebags dragonflies. There were actually two individuals that perched briefly on separate branches of a fallen tree during a short period of time. I am not sure if the two shots below are of the same dragonfly or of different ones, but I really like the poses were wonderful in either case.
Have a wonderful weekend.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Brilliant shots.
Okay, my friend, these are both absolutely astounding photos. Your intrepid efforts and numerous skills came alive in these photos. The spider web, gossamer wings, very cool saddlebags and the tail ends make these two photos real winners. Oh and I love all the orange in the “saddlebags3.” A real treat here.
Your comments, Jet, are always a joy to read. Your writing and analytical skills come to the fore as you react to my photos and my prose and you are able to describe in detail what you like about them. I think the light coming through the wings made those orange areas really shine–so often the patches appear to be uniformly black and the photo makes it clear tat there is a variety of shades in the wings..
Nice compositions, Mike, especially the first one. Capturing from underneath is a treat, too, and the Saddlebags really show off.
Thanks, Ellen. Angles really matter and it was cool to shoot this dragonfly from underneath–it was perched so high that I had no other choice. The details of the body showed off pretty well against the backdrop of the sky, though I had to work a little to pull some of the details out of the shadows.
[…] you could clearly see the distinctive dark patches on the hind wings. The second posting was called Perching Black Saddlebags and I was ecstatic when I was able to get some shots of Black Saddlebags perched high on some dead […]