Late-Season Dragonfly

Betsy and I visited Cranberry Lake every sunny day this Fall to see if any dragonflies were flying.  The last day we saw a dragonfly at Cranberry Lake was Thanksgiving, November 27.  On that day we saw two male Autumn Meadowhawks, which set a new record for a late flight date by one day.  They were perched in the sun, low to the ground, and the temperature was 55 ˚F.  Nice conditions, overall, though it was a bit breezy.  One of the meadowhawks flew upward, grabbed a flying insect, and landed to consume it, so they were still quite active.

Here's a photo of a male Autumn Meadowhawk:

This one is perched on the fence near the parking area, a favorite perching spot due to its exposure to the sun.

The weather has been so variable lately.  One day when we visited Cranberry Lake there was a fog bank around the shoreline of the island.  We decided to go out to Washington Park to see what it was like there.  Here's the view at Green Point:

At the top of the loop drive we were above the fog bank, and it was sunny and warm.  Here's the view:

Cranberry Lake is in the hills in the distance, above the fog on this day.  Birds were active at this lookout point, including a flock of 30 American Robins, 4 Varied Thrushes, and a single (naturally) Townsend's Solitaire.