I have observed large Darner dragonflies flying overhead on multiple occasions during my trip across the United States. Although I know that my best chance of getting a detailed shot of one of these beauties is to wait for them to perch, their stamina seems almost unlimited. Consequently I have often resorted to attempting to photograph them in flight.
On Wednesday I managed to capture a cool in-flight shot of what I think is a Blue-eyed Darner dragonfly (Aeshna multicolor) during a visit to Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Olympia, Washington. This is a Western dragonfly that is a new one for me.
I also watched several of these dragonflies patrolling lower over a small marshy pond and amazingly one of them perched on some vegetation. Finally I was able to get the kind of detailed shot that I had been seeking.
As is often the case with my wildlife photography, my persistence finally paid off.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wow. Love this.
Most impressive 👏👏👏
Fabulous shots!
“passed with flying colours” 😀
🙂
Your persistence certainly did pay off! What a great photo! That certainly is a beautiful dragonfly. Amazing coloring. Thank you once again and glad your adventure is going so well for you.
Thanks, Ann. My time in the Pacific Northwest will soon be coming to an end and tomorrow I will be starting my journey back to the East Coast. All in all, this adventure has already surpassed my expectations in so many ways.
You did good I try and try as my place is loaded with them and as I raise my camera they sit and pose for me lol their goes the inflight attempt 🙂
I laughed when I read your comment. So often wild creatures will frustrate us when they don’t act as we think they should. Perching dragonflies are definitely a good thing! 🙂
🙂 they sure are.
Persistence does seem to be an important factor in nature photography! For sure.
Pretty!
This is spectacular 🙌
Thanks. I am always really excited to be able to photograph colorful dragonflies.
Fabulous in flight shot, Mike! And what a beauty!
Thanks, Ellen. This kind of shot is about the toughest thing that I try to photograph, so it is really rewarding on those rare occasions like this when it actually works.