Emperor............Anax imperator
I think I first encountered these some years ago in Norfolk at Cley Marsh , at the time did not think a great deal about them as nobody seemed to interested in Dragonflies.
My next encounter was in Barcelona at a pool in a small park, there was al sorts of Dragonflies & Damselflies especially these Emperors.......I was starting to get hooked on them .
The first Emperor of the year was noted on the 17th June, they have a tendency to fly what seems like constantly , patrolling back and forth over their chosen area, occasionally dashing off to chase a rival or perhaps some prey, but also occasionally they will hang up and if you are lucky let you get some photos
Male Emperor with an Azure damselfly about to try and settle on it's wing
Female Emperor egg laying in the dense vegetation, in this case right in the middle of the pond
They can remain in the same position for some time. Older Females can take on the colour of the Male
Again an Azure Damselfly trying to settle on the females wing