And here's a picture of the Dragonfly Whisperer, just as a reminder:
I will be signing my book, Common Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Pacific Coast: A Life-Size Field Guide, after the presentation.
Happy Dragonflying!
Showing posts with label dragonfly whisperer speaks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dragonfly whisperer speaks. Show all posts
Monday, September 16, 2019
The Whisperer Speaks—This Time In Coupeville
Greetings fellow dragonfly enthusiasts. The Dragonfly Whisperer will speak on September 16, 2019 at 1:30 pm at the Coupeville Library in Coupeville, Washington. Here's a picture of the library:
And here's a picture of the Dragonfly Whisperer, just as a reminder:
I will be signing my book, Common Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Pacific Coast: A Life-Size Field Guide, after the presentation.
Happy Dragonflying!
And here's a picture of the Dragonfly Whisperer, just as a reminder:
I will be signing my book, Common Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Pacific Coast: A Life-Size Field Guide, after the presentation.
Happy Dragonflying!
Monday, September 9, 2019
The Whisperer Speaks—This Time on TV
Last year, Evening Magazine from King5 TV came to Anacortes to do an interview with the Dragonfly Whisperer. It was aired on September 11 at 7:30 pm. I just heard from them, and they plan to air the segment again tomorrow, Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at 7:30 pm.
They were getting some great shots with their video equipment. They could fill the entire frame with small damselflies, and get really nice close ups of dragonflies. Here's the cameraman getting a video of me taking a picture of him (notice the reflection of my hands holding my camera in the video lens):
We filmed at Cranberry Lake, where we took videos of damselflies, and at Heart Lake, where we concentrated on dragonflies. At Heart Lake we had a nice look at a female Cardinal Meadowhawk. They got great video of the dragonfly, as well as video of me taking pictures of it. They will then intersperse some of my still shots, like this one, in the finished segment:
We also saw several Eight-spotted Skimmers, again with the video camera getting great views, as well as shots of me taking pictures of the dragonflies. Some had quite a bit of wear on their wings, like this one:
One even had an entire wing missing. I've seen ragged wings, and wings with sections missing, but this was the first time I had seen a dragonfly with one wing completely gone.
As the cameraman for Evening Magazine said, "It's amazing it doesn't just fly around in circles." That's right, but in fact it was flying pretty much normally.
I think they did a very good job with the segment, and it's always fun to see some dragonflies on TV. If you're not able to see the broadcast, you can view a video of the entire segment at the following link:
https://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-dragonfly-whisperer-on-evening.html
More to come soon on dragonflies of the 2019 ICO.
They were getting some great shots with their video equipment. They could fill the entire frame with small damselflies, and get really nice close ups of dragonflies. Here's the cameraman getting a video of me taking a picture of him (notice the reflection of my hands holding my camera in the video lens):
We filmed at Cranberry Lake, where we took videos of damselflies, and at Heart Lake, where we concentrated on dragonflies. At Heart Lake we had a nice look at a female Cardinal Meadowhawk. They got great video of the dragonfly, as well as video of me taking pictures of it. They will then intersperse some of my still shots, like this one, in the finished segment:
We also saw several Eight-spotted Skimmers, again with the video camera getting great views, as well as shots of me taking pictures of the dragonflies. Some had quite a bit of wear on their wings, like this one:
One even had an entire wing missing. I've seen ragged wings, and wings with sections missing, but this was the first time I had seen a dragonfly with one wing completely gone.
As the cameraman for Evening Magazine said, "It's amazing it doesn't just fly around in circles." That's right, but in fact it was flying pretty much normally.
I think they did a very good job with the segment, and it's always fun to see some dragonflies on TV. If you're not able to see the broadcast, you can view a video of the entire segment at the following link:
https://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-dragonfly-whisperer-on-evening.html
More to come soon on dragonflies of the 2019 ICO.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
The Whisperer Speaks!
The Dragonfly Whisperer will be speaking this evening at the Adopt-A-Stream Foundation in Everett, WA.
The talk will begin at 7:00 pm.
Here's a brief description of the talk:
I hope to see you there!
The talk will begin at 7:00 pm.
Here's a brief description of the talk:
I hope to see you there!
Saturday, July 13, 2019
The Whisperer Speaks!
This coming week, July 14-19, the International Congress of Odonatology meets in Austin Texas. Here's a poster for the event:
Here's an overview of the schedule of events:
The dragonfly whisperer will be there. In fact, I'll be giving two separate talks on Tuesday morning. The talks will focus on the two species seen in the following photo, the Paddle-tailed Darner (right) and the Autumn Meadowhawk (left):
The Paddle-tailed Darner, the Happy-face Dragonfly, is featured in the first talk, Spin-Dry Dragonflies: Nature's Fastest Spinners. This talk explores the splash-dunk/spin-dry suite of behaviors, and includes many slow-motion videos.
The second talk, Egg Laying in Autumn Meadowhawks, describes the unique egg-laying behavior of Autumn Meadowhawks. Again, slow-motion videos show the behavior in full detail.
Stop by and say hello if you're in attendance.
Here's an overview of the schedule of events:
The dragonfly whisperer will be there. In fact, I'll be giving two separate talks on Tuesday morning. The talks will focus on the two species seen in the following photo, the Paddle-tailed Darner (right) and the Autumn Meadowhawk (left):
The Paddle-tailed Darner, the Happy-face Dragonfly, is featured in the first talk, Spin-Dry Dragonflies: Nature's Fastest Spinners. This talk explores the splash-dunk/spin-dry suite of behaviors, and includes many slow-motion videos.
The second talk, Egg Laying in Autumn Meadowhawks, describes the unique egg-laying behavior of Autumn Meadowhawks. Again, slow-motion videos show the behavior in full detail.
Stop by and say hello if you're in attendance.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
The Whisperer Speaks!
Just thought I'd bring the blog up to date on dragonfly talks I'll be giving in 2018.
For completeness, I'll start off with the talk I gave Tuesday evening for the North Cascades Audubon in Bellingham. Here's the ad for the talk.
I had a wonderful time there. The audience was large and friendly, and the venue—in the Rotunda Room of the Whatcom Museum—was delightful. I've never been there before, but I plan to return. Thanks to all who braved a rainy, windy evening to attend!
My next talk is for Sound Waters, a conservation conference put on by Sound Water Stewards. Here's some information about the conference. I see it's all booked up for this year, but you might want to keep it in mind for next year.
Here's the description of my talk:
Looking out further into 2018, here are the Dragonfly Whisperer talks that are on the books now:
August 7, Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop, WA.
August 8, Field Trip in Winthrop.
September 11, Burlington Public Library.
September 15, Arlington Public Library.
September 17, Freeland Public Library.
I'm sure there will be more talks as well, but these are the confirmed dates so far.
I'll send out details before each upcoming talk, so keep a look out. I hope to see you there!
For completeness, I'll start off with the talk I gave Tuesday evening for the North Cascades Audubon in Bellingham. Here's the ad for the talk.
I had a wonderful time there. The audience was large and friendly, and the venue—in the Rotunda Room of the Whatcom Museum—was delightful. I've never been there before, but I plan to return. Thanks to all who braved a rainy, windy evening to attend!
My next talk is for Sound Waters, a conservation conference put on by Sound Water Stewards. Here's some information about the conference. I see it's all booked up for this year, but you might want to keep it in mind for next year.
Here's the description of my talk:
Looking out further into 2018, here are the Dragonfly Whisperer talks that are on the books now:
August 7, Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop, WA.
August 8, Field Trip in Winthrop.
September 11, Burlington Public Library.
September 15, Arlington Public Library.
September 17, Freeland Public Library.
I'm sure there will be more talks as well, but these are the confirmed dates so far.
I'll send out details before each upcoming talk, so keep a look out. I hope to see you there!
Friday, September 15, 2017
The Whisperer Speaks Again!
I'll be giving a dragonfly talk tomorrow morning at 10:00 am at the Langely Library in the cute little town of Langely, Washington on the southern tip of Whidbey Island. Here's the library:
I hope you can join us—it should be a fun event.
I hope you can join us—it should be a fun event.
Friday, September 11, 2015
The Whisperer Spoke!
Wow, what a wonderful turnout for the dragonfly talk. Thanks so much! Your enthusiasm and interest really made for a delightful evening for both Betsy and me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
I thought I would present a few slides from the talk here, so everyone can enjoy them.
Here are the dragonfly locations I mentioned in Anacortes.
These are all excellent places to observe dragonflies. In fact, Betsy and I went to Cranberry Lake yesterday shortly after noon and observed 15 splash-dunk events in just over an hour. We also saw Cardinal Meadowhawks and Autumn Meadowhawks laying eggs near the shore.
I also presented a few slides showing the flight season and range maps for a number of dragonflies we see in Anacortes. Here are a few that I thought might be of particular interest.
First, let's take a look at the flight season for the most common meadowhawks in Anacortes.
We saw only the Cardinal and Autumn Meadowhawks at Cranberry Lake yesterday, but the Striped Meadowhawks are probably out and about at Smiley's Bottom.
Here are the range maps for the meadowhawks:
Notice the predominantly west coast distribution of the Cardinal Meadowhawk. The Striped Meadowhawk is seen west of the Rockies, and the Autumn Meadowhawk is predominantly an east coast dragonfly.
The Blue Dasher is a common and widespread dragonfly. They should still be flying now at Heart Lake.
The Four-spotted Skimmer is a northern species that is widespread east to west. They are seen most commonly at Cranberry Lake, though we didn't see any yesterday.
The Eight-spotted Skimmer is seen west of the Rockies. We didn't see any yesterday at Cranberry Lake, but I bet they can still be seen at Heart Lake.
Here are the flight seasons for the most common darners in Anacortes. The California Darner is the first to appear in the spring, but they're probably gone by now. There should still be a few Blue-eyed Darners around, though. At Cranberry Lake yesterday we saw lots of Paddle-tailed Darners (the Happy-face Dragonfly), and soon the Shadow Darners should start appearing.
Here are the range maps:
We're fortunate to live right in the heart of the Happy-face Dragonfly territory!
Thanks again for attending, and taking time to appreciate some of the smaller creatures that share our beautiful part of the country.
I thought I would present a few slides from the talk here, so everyone can enjoy them.
Here are the dragonfly locations I mentioned in Anacortes.
These are all excellent places to observe dragonflies. In fact, Betsy and I went to Cranberry Lake yesterday shortly after noon and observed 15 splash-dunk events in just over an hour. We also saw Cardinal Meadowhawks and Autumn Meadowhawks laying eggs near the shore.
I also presented a few slides showing the flight season and range maps for a number of dragonflies we see in Anacortes. Here are a few that I thought might be of particular interest.
First, let's take a look at the flight season for the most common meadowhawks in Anacortes.
We saw only the Cardinal and Autumn Meadowhawks at Cranberry Lake yesterday, but the Striped Meadowhawks are probably out and about at Smiley's Bottom.
Here are the range maps for the meadowhawks:
Notice the predominantly west coast distribution of the Cardinal Meadowhawk. The Striped Meadowhawk is seen west of the Rockies, and the Autumn Meadowhawk is predominantly an east coast dragonfly.
The Blue Dasher is a common and widespread dragonfly. They should still be flying now at Heart Lake.
The Four-spotted Skimmer is a northern species that is widespread east to west. They are seen most commonly at Cranberry Lake, though we didn't see any yesterday.
The Eight-spotted Skimmer is seen west of the Rockies. We didn't see any yesterday at Cranberry Lake, but I bet they can still be seen at Heart Lake.
Here are the flight seasons for the most common darners in Anacortes. The California Darner is the first to appear in the spring, but they're probably gone by now. There should still be a few Blue-eyed Darners around, though. At Cranberry Lake yesterday we saw lots of Paddle-tailed Darners (the Happy-face Dragonfly), and soon the Shadow Darners should start appearing.
Here are the range maps:
We're fortunate to live right in the heart of the Happy-face Dragonfly territory!
Thanks again for attending, and taking time to appreciate some of the smaller creatures that share our beautiful part of the country.
Friday, February 6, 2015
The Whisperer Speaks! Sound Waters, 2015
Greetings Fellow Dragonfliers:
I'll be giving a dragonfly talk tomorrow at the Sound Waters conference. Here's their logo:
Some information on the talk and speaker are given below:
I'll be giving all those in attendance the following handout. You can print the version below to get a nice color copy:
I hope to see you there tomorrow.
I'll sign off with a Vitruvian Dragonfly advertising the event:
I'll be giving a dragonfly talk tomorrow at the Sound Waters conference. Here's their logo:
Some information on the talk and speaker are given below:
I hope to see you there tomorrow.
I'll sign off with a Vitruvian Dragonfly advertising the event:
Monday, September 8, 2014
The Whisperer Speaks Tomorrow!
Greetings Dragonfly Enthusiasts!
Just a reminder of the presentation "Adventures With Dragonflies" to be given tomorrow evening at the Skagit Audubon general meeting. Details, including time and location, can be found at the following links:
http://www.skagitaudubon.org
http://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-whisperer-speaks-next-week.html
We look forward to seeing you there!
Below you will find a "Dragonflies 101" handout for tomorrow's talk. It includes some of the key concepts to be covered. Feel free to print a copy and bring it with you to take additional notes.
Field Trip
Don't forget about the field trip we've been planning for Saturday, September 13. The weather forecast looks favorable, and the dragonfly activity is quite high, so all indications are go. Here are the basic plans for the field trip:
1). Start around 11:00 am at Heart Lake in Anacortes. Good dragonfly activity here, including lots of perching, so bring a spotting scope if you have one. Binoculars and cameras are great, too. For recent adventures at Heart Lake check the following links:
http://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2014/08/pondhawks-plenty.html
http://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2014/09/i-heart-heart-lake.html
2). Go to Smiley's Bottom around noon for a lunch break and to use the facilities there. We will carpool at that location and proceed to Cranberry Lake.
3). Arrive at Cranberry Lake around 1:00 pm. The splash-dunk/spin-dry activity is quite high right now (this is the peak of the season), and we should have no problem seeing a number of events. Also a good location to see perching Happy-face Dragonflies. We'll probably finish up around 2:00 or 2:30 pm.
More details, including maps to the various locations, will be provided in a follow-up notice on Wednesday. It should be fun to take some of information provided in the talk and apply it in the field!
Just a reminder of the presentation "Adventures With Dragonflies" to be given tomorrow evening at the Skagit Audubon general meeting. Details, including time and location, can be found at the following links:
http://www.skagitaudubon.org
http://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-whisperer-speaks-next-week.html
We look forward to seeing you there!
Below you will find a "Dragonflies 101" handout for tomorrow's talk. It includes some of the key concepts to be covered. Feel free to print a copy and bring it with you to take additional notes.
Field Trip
Don't forget about the field trip we've been planning for Saturday, September 13. The weather forecast looks favorable, and the dragonfly activity is quite high, so all indications are go. Here are the basic plans for the field trip:
1). Start around 11:00 am at Heart Lake in Anacortes. Good dragonfly activity here, including lots of perching, so bring a spotting scope if you have one. Binoculars and cameras are great, too. For recent adventures at Heart Lake check the following links:
http://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2014/08/pondhawks-plenty.html
http://thedragonflywhisperer.blogspot.com/2014/09/i-heart-heart-lake.html
2). Go to Smiley's Bottom around noon for a lunch break and to use the facilities there. We will carpool at that location and proceed to Cranberry Lake.
3). Arrive at Cranberry Lake around 1:00 pm. The splash-dunk/spin-dry activity is quite high right now (this is the peak of the season), and we should have no problem seeing a number of events. Also a good location to see perching Happy-face Dragonflies. We'll probably finish up around 2:00 or 2:30 pm.
More details, including maps to the various locations, will be provided in a follow-up notice on Wednesday. It should be fun to take some of information provided in the talk and apply it in the field!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
The Whisperer Speaks Next Week!
Greetings Dragonfly Enthusiasts!
Betsy and I are looking forward to seeing you at the next meeting of Skagit Audubon, on Tuesday, September 9, where we will give a presentation entitled "Adventures With Dragonflies." We also plan to lead a dragonfly field trip the following Saturday, September 13, weather permitting.
More information on the presentation is given below:
Betsy and I are looking forward to seeing you at the next meeting of Skagit Audubon, on Tuesday, September 9, where we will give a presentation entitled "Adventures With Dragonflies." We also plan to lead a dragonfly field trip the following Saturday, September 13, weather permitting.
More information on the presentation is given below:
Stay tuned for additional information, including handouts and updated information about the planned field trip, and be sure to visit Skagit Audubon for more information about birding in Skagit County at http://www.skagitaudubon.org.
Feel free to bring your dragonfly photos, questions, or stories to share with the whisperer.
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