Common Darter Dragonfly

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A real predator of the animal kingdom. This dragonfly is, indeed, quite common in the UK. I’ve heard it said that their faces look like a smiley clown but at the same time, they are quite vicous predators too. I saw one just drop unexpectedly to the ground and then saw it had taken hold of a sizeable spider, just like a hawk landing on its prey.

They seem to have a habit of picking a dead plant stalk and resting on it, then flying off only to return to the same stalk several times. This certainly made it an easier task to set up my shots and I could be all ready for it the next time it landed.