We arrived at Hong Kong airport at 08:00 local time, and spent some of the afternoon visiting Hong Kong Park on the main island.

We saw five species of dragonflies - Trithemis aurora and T. festiva. Orthetrum glaucum and O. pruinosum neglectum, and Pantala flavescens (also spotted earlier in Kowloon Park).

Last week I failed to do any work on my website program, as I was taking a look at agda2. Dependent types are awesome!

This is lake windermere

Haskell + Eiffel = 2 * (contempt for Java)

On Monday I went along to do a count, without taking my camera. Along with the expected Common Darters on the three main ponds, there was a male Migrant Hawker searching for females on Long Bob. So yesterday I went again, this time armed with the camera. Needless to say, no Migrant Hawker.

My image gallery replacement software for Drupal is gradually taking shape.

I think I must be responsible for the poor summer we have had this year. With now 5 fine days in a row, starting on 09-09-09 (my 50th birthday), it is clear that nature held back the summer in order to properly celebrate the occasion ( being the principle present she gave me - at Tim's Tarn, Eskdale - not Heysham).

A few Common Blue Damselflies were still flying, along with a couple of Blue Tails and a solitary Emerald Damselfly. Common Darters were not all that numerous. Only one Southern Hawker. Also a few Brown Hawkers and a few more Migrant Hawkers (including this one):

To celebrate my 50th birthday (09-09-09), we visited Eskdale for a couple of days (and a meal at The Woolpack Inn :-)). The weather was in great contrast with the rest of the "summer", and Tim's Tarn brought out seven species (including a very late Keeled Skimmer, patrolling the outflow stream as we approached the site).

I made a circuit of the tarn to do a count (finishing at 13:45 BST):

This lunchtime was the best day I've had in the park for at least a month. Four species in all (plenty of Common Darters, 1 Brown Hawker laying eggs, 1 Southern Hawker, and at least 3 Migrant Hawkers). One of the Migrant Hawkers was a female - twice she declined to have anything to do with a male.

As far as I can remeber, this is the first female I've seen there.