This kind of dragonfly is almost always airborne, which makes them difficult to photograph, even though they approach people closely when patrolling. They rarely rest, but they do land when the weather is too bad to hunt.
So, I went out in strong winds and there it was: a blue hawker (Aeshna cyanea), blauwe glazenmaker in Dutch, about 75mm (3") long, waiting out the storm, the first time this year I have been able to photograph one:
Oluympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/160s
I approached as closely as the camera would focus, but it didn't fit on the sensor anymore, so I had to take a small step back:
Oluympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/500s
These dragonflies are quite big and powerful and they sometimes hunt smaller dragonflies and damselflies.
Thanks for watching!