OK....here is the drama I promised. We were walking across the boardwalk over the pond and I was trying to take photos of an Amberwing dragonfly. Suddenly an Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly grabbed one of the Amberwings for his lunch and decided the perfect place to kill it and eat was......
.....my shoulder! Ick! When it landed the Amberwing was still kicking, but not for long. The Pondhawk is so intent on the kill that it didn't mind me at all. I was able to remove my camera from around my neck and pass it over to Mike. Nothing like being grossed out and curious at the same time, but that's the way we photographers tend to be.
I do not like having my shoulder strewn with dragonfly body parts left over from the meal! I finally decided enough was enough.
I pulled on my t-shirt and it fell on its nose, but didn't let go.When I chased it off finally....where did it go?
Over to Mike! My turn to take creepy photos. The only thing I can think of is that we were large solid objects and it needed somewhere to pin its kill down. Look at how it holds it and the difference in their size.....if you aren't too squeamish.(My son used to have a t-shirt that said "Roadkill Cafe"......a take off on the Hard-Rock Cafes. This is what I felt we were here!)
Despite the icky factor, it was interesting to see how wide it could open its mouth.
"Jaws"......the new version.OK...I promise no creepy stuff tomorrow as I continue my walk. We had to practically beat this thing off with a stick to get it to leave us alone and find a new dinner plate. Sometimes nature is a little too "up close and personal"!
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18 comments:
Oh my goodness Mary, what exciting drama!! A great place from them to land too as Mike had had no obsticles in front of him and took the most wonderful shots!! A fantastic post!!
Golly gosh Mary, I never thought of you as a dinner plate! Fabulously gory and interesting shots of the life and death struggle. I have had a dragonfly sit on my shoulder for the longest time while I was weeding, luckily not when it was feeding.
WOWZA!
Joan: I knew you would apperciate these "bugs" and the opportunity to photograph their behavior :-)
Arija: I wouldn't mind one sitting on my shoulder...alone! Now that I've seen it eat, I'm glad that I'm a lot bigger than it is.
Kerri: My reaction was somewhere between "Yuck" and "intersting".
You and Mike got some really good macro shots of that drama! I never can get these things to be still so I can make close-ups! Have a great day!
Mary, how amazing and dramatic!!! and you were there! great pictures, but I could pass up the photo opportrunity. I guess dragonflies don't bite , (humans that is?) I went shopping in Maine witgh Eiel. The fabrics were delightful and I bought myself right into a quilt project. I couldn't resist the beauty. summer fun. Now to refill my bird feeders and gaze into my garden globe., then get started on a quilt. Have a great day. Ann
Well you make a lovely table with a nice table cloth...but you could at least offered matching napkins and maybe a steak knife would have been handy.. ; }
It is a little creepy...but I guess everything has to have lunch !!
Steve at Bluejay Barrens and nature blog would love this one!!!
Dorothy: You would not have had any trouble gettig this one to hold still! Dragonflies tend to have one or more favorite perches. If you watch them for a few minutes, they will go back over and over to the same twig or grass to sit on. Once you know where they are going to sit, just get the focus and wait for them.
Ann: I'm excited to know you are starting a quilting project! Riel is having a good influence on you :-) Will look forward to seeing what you come up with. I remember the bird that you did before.
Grammie G: LOL! You've got the right spirit for this. I'm not sure I'd trust this guy with a steak knife...he might decide I looked more tasty than the other dragonfly. LOL!
Oh, Mary! And I thought I was lucky to get the shot I did a while back! These are awesome...and you should have titled this "Jaws: the New Version" I did not realize they were cannibals!
FANTASTIC!!!
I love the drama. Only sad part was that he ate another dragonfly...why not some miserable critter instead. Well you gotta do what you gotta do! Thanks Mary I love this post!
Oh My Goodness... I cannot believe you were able to get those pictures.... Those pictures should be sent into one of the 'bug books' or magaznes... It's incredible... Maybe Discovery TV could use them....
All I can say is WOW.... Talk about being in the right place at the right time!!!! Wow.
Hugs,
Betsy
Rose: It certainly makes me look at dragonflies a little differently.
Eve: I agree with you there! I've always been happy to see dragonflies because they eat mosquitoes and flies and such, but I didn't know they would also eat smaller dragonflies. Poor little Amberwing...no wonder I haven't seen too many of them this year. I see a lot of the Pondhawks.
Betsy: I don't think they are that good....just weird.
Inspite of the fact that I too would not want my shoulder used as the local Dine,these pictures are fabulous.It is the best of nature up close.
Blessings,Ruth
Now this isn't something you see very often if ever. Great series Mary! Talk about being at the right place at the right time.
B.
In spite of the 'Yuk' factor this was a fascinating post.
What a great opportunity for some photos.
Too bad its meal was an Amberwing dragonfly, I much prefer it eat mosquitoes!
I think this post is written as if it could have been me and my husband. LOL I would have thought it was yucky, but wanted to photograph it too. :) Great pics!
Ruth: Nature likes to give us both the fascinating and the "yuck" at times, but it was interesting.
Becky: I wasn't sure if I liked being in the "right place" at that moment, but it was certainly something I hadn't seen before.
George: That's the way I felt.
Andy: I regreted it being an Amberwing, too. I didn't know they ate other dragonflies.
Debbie: Yes, the opportunity was too good to miss, even though I didn't like th subject.
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