Darners in the dunes

  

Arriving at the coast in the early afternoon, Eric spotted a number of dragonflies cruising back and forth along a dune ridge.  I went back to check on which species it was.  They were primarily Common Green Darners (Anax junius), but there were a few Spot-winged Gliders (Pantala hymenaea) and Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata), too.  

Although this is the time of year when we can see dragonflies moving along the coast, I'm not sure what triggered this particular movement.  It didn't seem that warm and I can see in the air temperature records that the maximum temperature this afternoon was ~66°F (19°C). Winds were relatively light today, out of the southwest this morning, becoming northwest later in the day.  Maybe the dragonflies were triggered by conditions elsewhere that aren't as apparent in Bodega Bay.