A great start of the year

2015 has been very warm in the first few months, so while birding I kept running into unexpected dragons and damsels. But we have been very busy on the field guide project for REGUA, so I have been slow on getting back to the blog. But now it is the middle of March and soon the streams will explode. This weekend Kameliya and I visited Pia Oac for birds and had a great time. But the afternoon of Sunday was sunny and besides almost 300 migrating raptors also enticed several Odonata to venture out. Apart from Pantala flavescens, Palpopleura sexmaculata, Orthetrum pruinosum and O. japonicum internum, plus Ceriagrion fallax and Anax nigrofasciatus, there were quite a few Mnais about. At home the penile organ helped ascertain the species: Mnais andersoni. Although M. mneme becomes pruinose on the thorax whereas this species does not, in early spring M. mneme too is still lacking pruinosity. That is when the penile organ comes in handy (see earlier blog entries).

Male Mnais andersoni