CalOdes / DSA Dragonfly Blitz II 2006

 

The Desert Experience (A New State Record)

 By Douglas Aguillard

In September 2005, seven members of the CalOdes (California Odonates Yahoo (Internet) Group decided to get together and search an under explored area of California for new records of Dragonflies and Damselflies. We searched Modoc County, which is located in the extreme Northeastern section of California. We were rained on, and snowed on, but yet we all had a lot of fun and the experience was wonderful. We all decided to make this an annual event where our goals were:  

1.)      Seek out new areas and records for California to further the knowledge base of California’s Odonates.

2.)      Be able to socialize with our fellow Dragonfly enthusiasts, and just have fun.  

It was decided that the 2nd Annual CalOdes/DSA Blitz would be held from October 7-8, 2006 in the extreme Southeasterly portion of the State, along the Colorado River. This time, we decided that instead of roughing it in the great (hot) deserts of California, that we would base ourselves in a motel in Yuma, AZ, which is just across the CA border.

 

Left to Right- Paul Johnson, Rod Miller, Doug Aguillard, Ed Lam, Kathy & Dave Biggs, Bob Miller

While a few of the original attendees couldn’t make it this year, we picked up several new folks who joined in on the fun. Attendees included original CalOdes Blitz I members, David & Kathy Biggs (Sonoma County), Ray Bruun (Shasta County), Doug Aguillard & Patricia Sherman (San Diego County), and newcomers, Paul Johnson (San Benito County), Bob Miller (Imperial County), Rod Miller (Arizona), and Ed Lam (New York).

 

Ray Bruun and Dave Biggs

Picking this area for our search was done as an educated guess. Several authorities including Sid Dunkle, Tim Manolis, and Kathy Biggs had been predicting that Striped Saddlebags (Tramea calverti) would show up in California for some time. In October of 2005, I had read a message on the SoWestLep Yahoo Group, that Jim Brock and Hank Brodkin of Arizona had seen a Striped Saddlebags on the Arizona side of the Colorado River at Betty’s Kitchen in late October. After a discussion with Tim Manolis, it was decided to try for the Striped Saddlebags during early October, so as to increase our changes of a larger number of species in the area, besides matching the dates when the Striped Saddlebags had been seen near the CA border.  

Heading out into the desert

On October 6th, Ray Bruun and Paul Johnson stopped in Riverside and Imperial Counties near the Salton Sea, as did Kathy and David Biggs, both groups looked for Odes there. Seen en route to the Blitz:

Common Green Darner (Anax junius), Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor), Western Pondhawk (Erythemis collocata), *Comanche Skimmer (Libellula comanche), Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata), Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea), Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum), Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata), Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens), Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea), Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata), Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta), American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana ), California Dancer (Argia agrioides), *Paiute Dancer (Argia alberta ), Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta), Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula), Vivid Dancer (Argia vivida), Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile), Desert Forktail (Ischnura barberi), Black-fronted Forktail (Ischnura denticollis), Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii). *= new late flight data for California

Dave Biggs looking at a White-belted Ringtail by Paul Johnson

Paul and Ray arrived early enough to scout the Imperial Dam area later on the 6th. They found Russet-tipped Clubtails (Stylurus plagiatus) and were able to share their location with the rest of the group, which arrived that night and early the next morning.

Bob Miller

On October 7th, we all met for breakfast at the local Denny’s, and got on the road by 9:30 a.m. Our FRS radios were set to Channel 11, and the caravan rolled into California, and north along the Colorado River. The weather was pleasant with the temps in the 80’s and a westerly breeze helped keep the heat down. Since Bob Miller was the most familiar with the area, he was designated as the leader. We headed for an area called Senator’s Wash, which was next to Senator’s Reservoir. Here we immediately started seeing Odes, and soon discovered 4-5 Pale-faced Clubskimmers (Brechmorhoga mendax), a new Imperial County record.

 

Kathy Biggs cooling off

We continued to poke around different areas without seeing anything real exciting, until we came to the West Pond area, near the Imperial Dam on the Colorado River. It was here that things really started getting us excited. We found a road along the northern stretch of this rather large pond/lake, and we immediately found a female and then a male Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata), which is uncommon anywhere in California. This was a lifer for many in the group and photographs were taken and then a specimen was collected to upgrade Imperial County’s record from a photo voucher to a specimen.

 

Rod Miller

When we walked up to an opening in the reeds that allowed us to see the pond, two red-colored saddlebags flew by the entire group in tandem, and Rod Miller thought they could possibly have been our quarry. Everyone spread out, and it was Bob Miller (no relation) that spotted a male Saddlebags far out on a reed along the shoreline. Ed Lam and Rod Miller both entered the pond in the hopes of netting this bug, but never could catch it. Eventually, we moved on to the south side of the pond, without being able to firmly say that we had found our new Saddlebags species. We spent the rest of the afternoon chasing after Russet-tipped Clubtails (Stylurus plagiatus), another rarity in CA, along the east shore of West Pond.

 Ed Lam

On Sunday the 8th of October, we decided to hit the road earlier, and immediately headed back for West Pond to see if we could find those Saddlebags again. One half of the group stopped at a beaver pond along McKinney Road and found Citrine Forktails (Ischnura hastata), while the rest did a fruitless search for the Saddlebags.

By noon, the Blitz was coming to a close as people had to start heading home. The small group that remained decided to give it one more shot and went looking for Striped Saddlebags. When they reached the area from the day before, they did see a male Saddlebags. It was out on the reeds along the shoreline, but due to distance and lighting, they could not make out its identification. Bob Miller decided to digi-scope the Tramea and hoped for the best.

Ed Lam w/ a Russet-tipped Clubtail by Paul Johnson

There was even a discussion of ways to “Mess with Doug” by really doing a bad job of “Photo-shopping in the stripes” and sending the images to me, and stating that I should have stayed 20 minutes longer.

When Bob Miller got home and started to look at his images, it was then discovered that he had actually taken images of our NEW STATE RECORD, the Striped Saddlebags!!!! Bob immediately put the word out to everyone on CalOdes, and on Friday the 13th of October, I went back out to West Pond. Within a few minutes, I found a male and female Striped Saddlebags perched near each other on a tree branch in the original spot that they were seen back on the 7th and 8th. While attempting to get into a good photo shooting position, the male flew away, not to be seen again, but I was able to get good images of the female before she too departed. 

West Pond is located north of Winterhaven, CA, along the Colorado River in the Imperial Dam
Recreation Area. The road to take to get there is Senator Wash Road, and the GPS coordinates
are N 32.52.739 W 114.28.648
 
Species seen in the Imperial Dame area during the two day (October 7th-8th) Blitz include:
 
Common Green Darner (Anax junius), Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor), *White-belted Ringtail (Erpetogomphus compositus),
*Russet-tipped Clubtail (Stylurus plagiatus), **Pale-faced Clubskimmer (Brechmorhoga mendax), Western Pondhawk (Erythemis collocata),
*Comanche Skimmer (Libellula comanche), Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata), ** *Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata), Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea),
Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum), Red-tailed Pennant (Brachymesia furcata), Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)
Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea), Mexican Amberwing (Perithemis intensa), ***Striped Saddlebags (Tramea calverti),Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata),
Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta), American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana), California Dancer (Argia agrioides), *Paiute Dancer  (Argia alberta) 
Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta), *Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula), Vivid Dancer (Argia vivida), Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)
Desert Forktail (Ischnura barberi), Black-fronted Forktail (Ischnura denticollis), Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata),
Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii)
 
*=  new late flight data, ** = new county record
***= NEW STATE RECORD

I want to thank all of the participants for coming, and helping and sharing some good times with us. Everyone is welcome to join our next CalOdes/DSA Blitz III, which will be held in July 2007 in California’s Owens Valley. We will be spending time in the Sierra Nevada, the Owens River Valley (high desert habitat), and the White Mountains. More information to follow.