Scarce Chaser and Nene Washes 4th June 2008.

Nice shot of a female Scarce Chaser by John!

Meeting with John, after he had finished work we drove over to Woodwalton Fen NNR in Cambridgeshire, to see if we could find any Scarce Chasers.
Parking by the entrance, we were soon checking out the ditches and found a male Scarce Chaser almost straight away. Although the Dragonfly was too distant to photo it was good to see the Chaser so quickly.
Checking out other parts of the reserve, we saw a couple of Hairy Dragonflies on the wing, and a small group of Roe Deer feeding in the fenland.
Moving back to the ditch next to the entrance, we soon picked up at least six female Scarce Chasers sitting in the vegetation opposite the ditch. At this point John and myself took a number of photos of the Chasers. Other Dragonflies seen in the same area included Four spotted Chaser, Hairy Dragonfly and numerous Damseflies.
As we were the leaving the reserve, we noticed a Barn Owl slowly quartering the nearby farmland, before moving onto the Nene Washes.
Going via Whittlesey for probably the worst fish and chips I've ever eaten,the final stop of the evening was the understated Nene Washes RSPB reserve.
The target at this reserve was to hear Corncrake calling, as John had previously heard Corncrake distinctive call a couple of weeks earlier on the reserve.
Walking down the long track we saw numerous birds over the Washes, with highlights including hearing drumming Snipe for the first time, a couple of Marsh Harriers and at least three Barn Owls hunting over the surrounding area.
Sadly though there was no sign or sound of any Corncrakes.
Walking slowly back to the car we tried on number occasions to tape-lure the Corncrakes via John's mobile phone, but this evening the Corncrakes were not play ball.
Although a slight disappointment at the end of the evening, myself and John were happy of what we had seen and heard at this magical underrated reserve.

Thanks to John for the supplying the photo of the female Scarce Chaser.