Spot-Winged Glider??? - Pantala hymenaea

Amazing photo

Looks like a spot-winged glider to me (although I will certainly accept an overrule by those who know better). The dark spot is clearly visible on the rear wing. Other marks seem to match, as does behavior described. Spot-winged gliders fly in southern NJ from mid June into October, according to Bob Barber's "Dragonflies & Damselflies of Cumberland County" (Atlantic County dates usually match Cumberland's closely).

But I am commenting because I'd love to hear how you took this terrific photo! What equipment? how did you catch it in flight so sharply?

… Jack Connor, 16 July, 2006 - 10:21am

It was an experiment...

Thanks, Jack, comment appreciated. I used a Canon 1D-Mk2 with a 300/2.8 image stabilized lens and 1.4x tele-extender. That's a setup I use for short range, hand-held bird shots. The light was marginal, so I was forced to use a wide open aperture with resulting limited dof. Settings were f/4 (effective) and 1/2000 sec. I took a lot of shots hoping I'd be square-on to the subject in one or two. The other necessity was a cooperative and somewhat predictable subject.

… Tam Stuart, 16 July, 2006 - 4:02pm

Thanks

Interesting to hear how you did it. Really, looking again now, they seem even better.

Keep up the great work.

… Jack Connor, 16 July, 2006 - 6:13pm

Impressed

I too am very impressed with the quality of this image. I'm just getting into photography, and dragonflies are one of my favorite subjects. Unfortunately my skills (and equipment) are lacking a lot of depth, so I must resort to "posing" the dragonflies for photos.

Awesome shot!

… Tom Springer III, 2 July, 2007 - 9:01pm