How often does this fascinating phenomenon occur in the Seychelles?
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How often does this fascinating phenomenon occur in the Seychelles?
Sirop14 on Mon Apr 25, 2016 11:41 am
How often does this fascinating phenomenon occur in the Seychelles?
25-April-2016
On March 22, 2014, while working on Desroches Island as conservation officer for IslandThe wing-spotted Wandering Glider dragonfly Conservation Society (ICS), a large swarm of dragonflies captured my attention.
These delicate tiny helicopters are winged predators with an extraordinary agile rapid flight. I caught a few to identify the species and realised I was surrounded by thousands of them. All Desroches Island was covered by these 4-5cm dragonflies, chasing and feeding on small insects such as mosquitoes and flying ants. I realised I was witnessing an exceptional migration of dragonflies.
The identification revealed that the dragonfly was Wandering Glider or Globe Skimmer (Pantala flavescens). The English common names refer to its migratory behaviour. Wandering Gliders migrate across the western Indian Ocean from Asia to Africa and their arrival and occurrence in the subtropics coincides with the Southward passage of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) showing their preference for moist winds. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the dragonflies fly with north-easterly tail winds, within and behind the ITCZ, at altitudes over 1,000 meters. Interestingly, Wandering Glider is the highest-flying dragonfly, recorded at 6,200 metres in the Himalayas.
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=249204
25-April-2016
On March 22, 2014, while working on Desroches Island as conservation officer for IslandThe wing-spotted Wandering Glider dragonfly Conservation Society (ICS), a large swarm of dragonflies captured my attention.
These delicate tiny helicopters are winged predators with an extraordinary agile rapid flight. I caught a few to identify the species and realised I was surrounded by thousands of them. All Desroches Island was covered by these 4-5cm dragonflies, chasing and feeding on small insects such as mosquitoes and flying ants. I realised I was witnessing an exceptional migration of dragonflies.
The identification revealed that the dragonfly was Wandering Glider or Globe Skimmer (Pantala flavescens). The English common names refer to its migratory behaviour. Wandering Gliders migrate across the western Indian Ocean from Asia to Africa and their arrival and occurrence in the subtropics coincides with the Southward passage of the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) showing their preference for moist winds. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the dragonflies fly with north-easterly tail winds, within and behind the ITCZ, at altitudes over 1,000 meters. Interestingly, Wandering Glider is the highest-flying dragonfly, recorded at 6,200 metres in the Himalayas.
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=249204
Sirop14- Posts : 11184
Join date : 2008-06-02 
Seychelles EU Connection :: Seychelles EU Community Hobby, Past time, Theraputic activities :: Gardening, everything - anything to do with gardening
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