Coming in off the water

They almost fooled me.  With the warm weather and south winds today, there was a good chance for dragonfly and butterfly movements along the coast.  

When I was near the bluffs in the early morning, I noticed some dragonflies coming in off the water.  They were medium-sized and golden in color, so my first thought was that they could be gliders.

But after hawking insects, they landed in low shrubs — not typical behavior for a glider.  Here's what I saw when I finally found one perched:

 

They were immature Variegated Meadowhawks (Sympetrum corruptum).

Below is a slightly different view:

 

Variegated Meadowhawks are known for dispersing along the coast in the fall, and today was a good day for seeing them on Bodega Head!