Rare Odonata; Vagrant Emperors & Red- veined Darters

On Wednesday October 24th, at Kessingland in the afternoon, I drove over to Kessingland, walking down Coastguards Lane there was a stretch of beach just north of the seawall. I was hoping to see the Vagrant Emperor Dragonflies spotted by Andrew E. I joined a group of people including Carl B, Dave H & others. One had been seen in flight 3o minutes earlier. After an hour no sign, a general exodus north before a weedy area, where a group of people were gathering raised hopes of a rare dragonfly sighted. It was fine female Red- veined Darter which posed well for the camera. Then a shout of an Odonata been seen flying over the end of the sea wall. It was a Migrant Hawker, but then a larger Dragonfly with straight abdomen and brownish body joined it and then flew north, it was the fine female Vagrant Emperor. Andrew E and Rob Will joined us and they immediately picked up the male Vagrant Emperor flying around the Dunes brown bodied but with a gleaming blue notch on the abdomen. Birds seen included Red Kite flying over the cliff & 2 single Fieldfares in off. Good to see old friends from both Norfolk & Suffolk too.