Day of the Dragon [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Philip Veerman <>]

I am pretty sure I too have seen Bee-eaters, Sacred Kingfisher and maybe a Dollarbird taking dragonflies and eating them. There must be lots of photos around showing that. Surely HANZAB would have many others birds recorded as predators. One of the Attenborough films shows Swallows (likely Barn Swallows) doing the same.  I didn’t know of reed warbler taking them and I don’t think I have seen them eating anything that big.

 

Philip

 

From: Mark Clayton [
Sent: Thursday, 22 December, 2016 4:00 PM
To: 'Perkins, Harvey'; 'Christine'
Cc: 'CanberraBirds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Day of the Dragon [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

 

G’day Harvey,

 

Like Steve R and David R I have seen, in the dim dark past, Australian Hobbies taking dragonflies and eating them in flight when I was visiting Kelly’s Swamp.

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

From: Perkins, Harvey [
Sent: Thursday, 22 December 2016 9:17 AM
To: 'Christine'
Cc: 'CanberraBirds'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Day of the Dragon [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

 

Thanks for that Christine. Can’t be sure given the available resolution but it looks like that one may be an Australian Emperor (Hemi)Anax papuensis, one of the largest dragonflies we get in Canberra.

 

Harvey

 

Dr Harvey Perkins

CRC Programme Operations

AusIndustry – Business Services

 

Phone +61 2 6213 7472

Internet: business.gov.au

 

 

 

 

From: Christine
Sent: Thursday, 22 December 2016 9:06 AM
To: Harvey Perkins <>
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Day of the Dragon

 

Harvey,

 

the summer before last at Jerra wetlands there were many dragonflies, and we sat in the hide and watched S. kingfishers catch them one after another. This summer only a few dragonflies, and no S. kingfishers on Kelly Swamp.

 

Christine.