Twelve-spotted and Great Blue Skimmer sharing the same perch - 2016-6-17 Newark, DE
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Initially I was watching what I thought was some sort of courtship interaction. One or the other would take off which prompted the second one to take flight. They'd fly together for a few short seconds, maybe 8 or 10, and then return to their perch. Usually the Twelve-Spotted came in last and took the left position on the branch but in those instances where it came back first the Great Blue took to the left. At one point, the Twelve-spotted alit on the back of the Great Blue and that episode lasted 3 or 4 seconds at most.
It wasn't until I saw the photos on the computer that I realized I was looking at two males of different species. An hour and a half later when I went back out again, the Twelve-spotted wasn't around, but the Great Blue was in position and a male Common Whitetail was a few feet away on a low reed.
Initially I was watching what I thought was some sort of courtship interaction. One or the other would take off which prompted the second one to take flight. They'd fly together for a few short seconds, maybe 8 or 10, and then return to their perch. Usually the Twelve-Spotted came in last and took the left position on the branch but in those instances where it came back first the Great Blue took to the left. At one point, the Twelve-spotted alit on the back of the Great Blue and that episode lasted 3 or 4 seconds at most.
It wasn't until I saw the photos on the computer that I realized I was looking at two males of different species. An hour and a half later when I went back out again, the Twelve-spotted wasn't around, but the Great Blue was in position and a male Common Whitetail was a few feet away on a low reed.
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