Carmine Darter – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Hundreds of Carmine Darter are still around in the vegetation next to the Dhahran Waste Water Lake. Below is a photograph of a different coloured one from the males and females I normally see and am not sure if it is an immature male or a female. I spent some time trying to get photos of them in flight but it proved much too hard a task with a big and heavy 600mm prime lens and I failed entirely in the exercise. 

Hundreds of Carmine Darter – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Whilst birding the Dhahran Waste Water Lake in late May I saw hundreds of Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea. They are common in this area but I have never seen large numbers like this. The Carmine Darter is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Carmine Darter – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Whilst birding the Dhahran Waste Water Lake recently I came across a few Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea. The Carmine Darter is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Carmine Darter – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Whilst birding the Dhahran Waste Water Lake recently I came across a few Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea. The Carmine Darter is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Carmine Darter – Soudah Waterfall

Whilst birding the Soudah Waterfall area near Abha in the western mountains we came across several bright red coloured Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea with a number of duller yellow female Carmine Darter. The Carmine Darter is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Carmine Darter - Tanoumah

Whilst birding the mountains of Tanoumah we came across an area of permanent water with good bird and insect life. One of the most common insects was the bright red coloured Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea with a number of duller yellow female Carmine Darter. The Carmine Darter is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Female Carmine Darter

Whilst birding Saudi Arabia over the last few months I come across a couple of Dragonflies I did not know how to identify. Alejandra Ortega kindly sent me an email letting me know they were female Carmine Darters. The first was seen in the Talea Valley near Abha (first four photos) and the second in Tanoumah at Salah Al Dana (last photo).

Carmine Darter – Jubail

Whilst birding Jubail looking for Egyptian Nightjars, Phil Roberts found a bright red coloured Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea perched on a dead reed. The Carmine Darter is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Carmine Darter at Wadi Waj - Taif

Whilst birdwatching at Wadi Waj in Taif I came across a number of Carmine Darters. They are a medium-sized dragonfly measuring about 50 milimetres. The adult male has a bright red, widened abdomen, and small yellowish-amber patches at the bases of the hind wings. Pterostigma are yellow. The male is a handsome carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour.  They are widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky wadis (normally dry watercourses) and desert pools, especially around irrigation channels. Nymphs feed on small insects. When the adults emerge they dry their wings and immediately start hunting for food as they only live up to two months as adults.

Carmine Darter - Taif

Whilst birding in Taif I found a bright red colour dragonfly flying over and perched near a small flowing stream. The Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea is a common and numerous dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The adult male has a bright orange red to carmine red, widened abdomen, and small yellowish-amber patches at the bases of the hind wings. Pterostigma are yellow. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Carmine Darter – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl, looking for Egyptian Nightjars, I found a bright red coloured Dragonfly that perched regularly on a small shrub where I managed to get a photograph of it perched in some sunlight briefly. The Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

A few Insects – Dhahran Hills

As it has been relatively quiet bird wise recently I have been out looking for insects with the help of my two daughters who have much sharper eyes than me for small crawling insects. There are a number of species of Lygaeus Ground Bugs in Saudi Arabia with the one photographed below being very common in Dhahran at the right time of year. They are often seen running across the ground at the edge of the spray fields where there are plenty of plants to feed on.

Lygaeus Ground Bug

Moths are few and far between in the desert but there are currently quite a few of this micro moth in the grasses around the edge of the percolation pond. I have no idea as to its name but they are very pale when flying. Other insects using the same grasses include both Purple and Carmine Darters.

Micro Moth sp.

Purple Darter

Carmine Darter

Beetles are around in good numbers mainly being Pitted Beetles but we also found a single Rack Beetle Tentyrina palmeri crawling around on the edge of the scrubby desert. A small flowering plant hosted a number of Big-headed Dronefly Eristalinus megacephalus. Droneflys are really Hoverflys that mimic bee drones or male hive bees.

Rack Beetle

Big-headed Dronefly

Carmine Darter – Dhahran Hills

Whilst birding the ‘patch’ yesterday I found a larger dragonfly than the common Purple Darter. This insect was a bright red colour and perched regularly on a small tamarisk shrub where I managed to get a decent photograph of it at one stage when it perched in some sunlight briefly. The Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea is a common and numerous dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The adult male has a bright orange red to carmine red, widened abdomen, and small yellowish-amber patches at the bases of the hind wings. Pterostigma are yellow. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Some odonate species are migratory and more broadly ranging than others, and this distribution is related to the type of temporary breeding habitats they utilize. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.