Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea)

Quick ID Link

The Southern Hawker

As its name suggests this colourful hawker is found mainly in the southern half of the United Kingdom but not exclusively so.

It emerges from mid to late July but is best seen when it is a fully mature adult in mid to late August or early September when they are at their most colourful. This is a particularly striking and large dragonfly.

Southern Hawkers can be seen on lakes, ponds, canals and are often seen in wooded glades far away from stillwater. They are frequent visitors to garden ponds and can be an amazing sight owing to their large size. They can be very inquisitive and have been known to settle on peoples clothing.

This hawker is most easily confused with the Common Hawker, which is not quite as common as its name suggests. The male Southern Hawker has green and blue abdominal spots where as the Common Hawker has all blue spots, narrow antehumeral stripes and no yellow triangle on segment 2 of the abdomen.

The female Southern Hawker is generally greener in overall appearance and has brown eyes. It has green antehumeral stripes and abdominal spots. It is also more scarce than the male so make the most of any photographic opportunities that come your way.

Photographic Overview - The Southern Hawker

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.

The Southern Hawker is perhaps the most approachable of the Aeshna family. They will generally perch in accessible locations in hedgerows or similar low level vegetation. They are therefore relatively easy to photograph, presenting few compositional problems as they tend to perch in the classic cruxifix position with their wings held rigidly open. This presents a fairly flat plain to focus on. A moderate depth of field is all that is required to obtain full subject focus. If you are not fully behind the subject increase the depth of field otherwise the wing tips will be blurred.

This hawker will patrol regular routes returning frequently to the same spot. Once a suitable perch has been located some really good shots can be obtained with a bit of patience. If such a perch is identified set yourself up ready for a shot, when the subject returns you should be ready for that opportunity. Ultra close ups are also possible, particularly on later season encounters.

One compositional issue is the true representation of the blue spots on the abdomen. In bright light the blue may appear rather pale or even white on the image, if it does try experimenting by varying the angle of the shot.

If you want to know more about this species, then follow this link - To Narrative

Like to see further images of this dragonfly, then follow this link - To Further Images

If you want to see the best of these images, then follow this link - To Slide Show

These images were obtained by stealth and patience alone, no other non photographic techniques were used. I hope you have enjoyed browsing my websiteand that you'll return again soon.

All of these photographs were taken by and remain the property of Chris Brooks

Page Updated 09/10

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