This might remind you of a grainy Bigfoot picture. It has something in common with that, actually.

Green Darner dragonflies are difficult to photograph. They are large and showy, but they never, ever, stop moving. Many other species will perch on a platform periodically. They may have several favorite spots. Once can lie in wait for them there to catch them at rest. Green darners, on the other hand, rarely seem to light. The pond where I photograph them typically has one green darner. He constantly makes his rounds. He rarely hovers for more than a second, and when he flies he always flies fast. He’s a very tantalizing but illusive target. You can say you saw him, but getting a good picture is another thing altogether. Sort of like Bigfoot. I’ve been stalking the pond all summer with no results.

So, grainy as it is, I am pleased I got this photograph. My opportunity came today. Some of the green darner population migrates every year. On sunny, early-autumn afternoons they gather in significant numbers over meadows, hawking insects and generally flying about. I easily had two dozen in this corner of the meadow, probably more. I got out my Nikon 70-300mm AF-S ED VR telephoto, set it on burst mode, and had at it. After a hundred shots in about 20 minutes, the featured image was the best. Obviously it’s heavily cropped. But you can tell it is a green darner, and as such is the best I have gotten to date. It is small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

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