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A male Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum), seen and snapped today in Holywells Park, Ipswich.
Easy to tell the difference between these and Common Darter - the Ruddy has all black legs whereas the Common has yellow striped and black legs.
On the DART going from Dun Laoghaire to Pearce Station. My Dublin tour map says that the DART was the world's first suburban railway, built in 1834.
The darters or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae. The term "snakebird" is usually used without any additions to signify whichever of the completely allopatric species occurs in any one region. It refers to their long thin neck, which has a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged, or when mated pairs twist it during their bonding displays. "Darter" is used with a geographical term when referring to particular species. It alludes to their manner of procuring food, as they impale fishes with their thin, pointed beak. The American Darter (A. anhinga) is also known as Anhinga. It is called "water turkey" in the southern United States for little clearly apparent reason; though the American Darter is quite unrelated to the wild turkey, they are both large, blackish birds with long tails that are sometimes hunted for food.
Anhingidae are large birds with sexually dimorphic plumage. They measure about 80 to 100 cm (2.6 to 3.3 ft) in length, with a wingspan around 120 cm (3.9 ft), and weigh some 1,050 to 1,350 grams (37 to 48 oz). The males have black and dark brown plumage, a short erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have a much paler plumage, especially on the neck and underparts, and are a bit larger overall. Both have grey stippling on long scapulars and upper wing coverts. The sharply pointed bill has serrated edges, a desmognathous palate and no external nostrils. The darters have completely webbed feet, and their legs are short and set far back on the body.
Female British Common Darter
Dragonfly at Kibblesworth in Tyne & Wear, just behind Bewick Main Caravan Park
Canon EOS 70d
Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro
Hand Held
No Flash, Sunshine
PRESUME THESE ARE OLD RUDDY DARTERS AS I HAVE NEVER SEEN COMMON DARTERS AT THIS POOL ON THE ATTINGHAM ESTATE.
The weather has been pretty miserable here the last couple of days and I have been feeling miserable with a cold (for 3 weeks now), so I am going back through my archives.
Darters are a water bird that is closely related to Cormorants. Their feathers are not waterproof and since they are underwater hunters you will usually see them sitting out of the water on a log or rock with their wings spread right out drying themselves. Their feathers are permeable to water to allow for decreased buoyancy so they can sink to catch their prey. They have an oil gland at the base of their tail which they use while preening and squeezing the water from their feathers. With its body submerged and only its head and neck above the surface, the Darter resembles a snake rising from the water; hence one of its popular names the Snake-bird. They have very long and sharp beaks, which they use with their long neck to spear their prey.
Darter dragonflies awaiting takeoff clearance. natural light. Focus stacked version of www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/20470314442/in/dateposted-pub...
Dennis dart Enviro under an arch proclaiming Winchester Bus Station, and heavily defended against the dreaded Pigeons.
Dublin's overground train service is known as the Dart. This is an IR picture taken through the side of a bridge over the lines.
Darter dragonfly. Natural light. Focus stacked using zerene. See www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/20040580373/ for a 3D version