Just a few days after my first ode, they are now out in force and now is the time to take advantage of the abundance of the earlier emerging species, some won’t last long. There are a couple I have been hoping for with Ebony Boghaunter amongst the priorities but no luck with that one so far. We do have seemingly suitable areas locally although access is usually limited to the adjacent tracks.
One spot I thought might produce is Old Hay Road in Barrington, although we just call it Barrington Lake Road. It runs from Barrington in Shelburne Co off River Road and through to Barrington Lake. The road is a bit rough and some clearance is needed although I got my Grand Caravan up there easily enough. On the way up to the lake there is a good bit of river, a few trackside boggy pools and some temporary pools of standing water, likely soon to be dust.
I went up there with Mike MacDonald and we had some success with a few species although few were inclined to land, hence the in-hand shot of the Twin-spotted Spiketail. Mike has yet to be bitten by odes, metaphorically speaking, but it may yet happen.
Our species list for the morning, although modest, shows the potential of the site and further examination is required to give a full evaluation of the species present. Fortunately it is very handy for us here on Cape Sable Island so it will get a good looking at. It looks a good spot to explore by Kayak!
The Species:
Eastern Forktail
Green Darner
Lancet Clubtail
Twin-spotted Spiketail
Stream Cruiser
Mantled Baskettail
To access Old Hay Road, take River Road at the Shell gas station on the Oak Park Connector. On the left before the small cemetery is a track with a stop sign, turn here. Continue 300m then go right on a small track, again with a stop sign. There is a place to park by the river and odes can be seen from the bridge. Continue along the track for approx. 4.5km to a boat launch at Barrington Lake, n-route there are several obvious spots worth examining. Beware of ticks.
Eastern Canada Odes 