Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva)
Photography by Chris Brooks
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The Scarce Chaser
This Scarce variety as its name suggests is the least common of the the three UK members of Chaser Dragonfly family.
However, it may be locally common if a suitable location for breeding is located. It can be seen from mid May through to late July or early August.
This chaser is found on rivers and can be seen basking in the sun on tall stands of umbellifers in the adjacent fields and meadows.
I travelled up to the Dorset Stour, which is possibly the home of the Scarce Chaser in England to capture these images. I need to spend more time in the pursuit of this species which is also colonising sections of the River Wey in Surrey & Hampshire.
The mature male has a blue abdomen with black segments on its tip. It also has dark patches at the wing bases and black wing tips. Its eyes are a steely blue in colour.
The female and the immature male are very similar and have an orange abdomen with a black central jagged stripe. They could be confused, so close examination of the anal apendages would be necessary to differentiate one from the other.
(Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the images)
Photographic Overview - The Scarce Chaser
All of my images are taken in handheld mode without the use of any camera support and this overview is written with that in mind.
Although the Scarce Chaser is readily approachable it can be quite a difficult species to photograph, as it frequently perches at head height or above on top of tall umbellifers or similar vegetation.
This makes top down shots very challenging and it may be necessary to hold the camera at arms length above your head. When using an SLR with a fixed LCD screen this creates composition issues which may well involve some guess work.
I have now armed myself with a "Zigview" angle finder which attaches to the camera's view finder and projects the image on to an adjustable LCD screen. This should enable image composition above head height, I aim to experiment with this next season.
If you want to know more about this species, then follow this link - To Narrative
These images were obtained by stealth and patience alone, no other non photographic techniques were used. I hope you have enjoyed browsing and that you'll return again soon.
All of these photographs were taken by and remain the property of Chris Brooks
Page Updated 11/09
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