Dudmaston - Small Red-eyed Damselfly

 I had already managed to see and get record shots of Shropshire's latest addition to the Odonata list, Small Red-eyed Damselfly!

Here's the first images from 10th August, it's very easy to pick them out once you get your eye in! Clearly smaller and with much more blue showing on the flanks at both ends of the abdomen

Closer shots of Red-eyed Damselfly were managed as well today ...

Loving the above raindrops!

Oh those eyes!!

Seen here mating with a Common Blue Damsel keeping tabs!

And more males chasing after the lucky female!

Here we go with the first Small Red-eyed Damsel. A bit nearer than the last visit but that was about to be eclipsed!

Shame this one has a bit of distortion of one wing but I didn't even notice it until reviewing the shots!

You can just about see the small x on segment 10, another useful identifying mark!

Here's one solution to the offending wing, a closer crop! Plus another indicator of the identity, the Coenagrion spur on the thorax is shortened with an obvious dot adjacent in male Red-eyed. You have to exercise caution using this marker as Red-eyed often show a similar pattern!

I was really looking forward to finding more individuals but mother nature stepped in with the forecast rumbles of thunder. Destined to be torrential for the next couple of hours, I headed home...