I love Iberia, I have probably spent more dragonfly time here than anywhere else. It has mountains, forests that look almost tropical, the most fabulous rivers and even one of Europe's deserts. All this where you can have a full three course lunch with drink and coffee for €10.
Because I have spent so much time here I have tried to summarise the dragonfly fauna of the peninsula. You will find a separate page "The dragonflies of Iberia" to learn more.
Because I have spent so much time here I have tried to summarise the dragonfly fauna of the peninsula. You will find a separate page "The dragonflies of Iberia" to learn more.
First Symposium Iberico de Odonatologica
Florent Prunier and his local team organised this first Symposium and I for one hope that it is the first of many. It ran from Friday evening 1-May and was packed with oral and poster presentations right through until Sunday lunch time 3-May.
Some guitar music and song set us all in the mood for the keynote speakers Adolfo Cordero on the genus Ischnura - a favourite subject of mine and then Antonio Torralba on the history of Odonatological studies on the peninsular Iberia. After this first session we repaired to local bars where I met many old friends including Paco Cano and Arturo Bernal - the king of Macromia in Spain.
Saturday morning was full on with oral presentations every twenty minutes. Try speaking on your subject for just fifteen minutes and then five minutes of questions; it certainly concentrates the mind!!
Florent Prunier and his local team organised this first Symposium and I for one hope that it is the first of many. It ran from Friday evening 1-May and was packed with oral and poster presentations right through until Sunday lunch time 3-May.
Some guitar music and song set us all in the mood for the keynote speakers Adolfo Cordero on the genus Ischnura - a favourite subject of mine and then Antonio Torralba on the history of Odonatological studies on the peninsular Iberia. After this first session we repaired to local bars where I met many old friends including Paco Cano and Arturo Bernal - the king of Macromia in Spain.
Saturday morning was full on with oral presentations every twenty minutes. Try speaking on your subject for just fifteen minutes and then five minutes of questions; it certainly concentrates the mind!!
After an excellent lunch (all part of the Symposium - such good value at €30) we took a short walk to the banks of the Rio Guadalquivir and within minutes our quarry of Onychogomphus costae was spotted and the cameras were trained. Can you spot the insect? I have to admit, it was extremely obliging.
I went off looking for exuviae but was not rewarded. I talked to Albano Soares on the way back about Oxygastra; another of my favourites. Ne had only recently understood that it was originally described from the UK although it is now extinct. What about a re-introduction. Well there's a thought!!
I went off looking for exuviae but was not rewarded. I talked to Albano Soares on the way back about Oxygastra; another of my favourites. Ne had only recently understood that it was originally described from the UK although it is now extinct. What about a re-introduction. Well there's a thought!!
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Back to the lovely setting of the Jardin Botanico for the posters. Rafael Tamajon has recorded around Cordoba city for many yaers. The 10 km square that contains the city has a total of 45 species recorded. Some have been lost in recent years but it is still more than we have in UK.
The final oral presentations ran a bit late but it hardly mattered as the Symposium dinner followed at 10 pm. It took a bit of finding but Bar Morilles did us proud with local delicacies and much beer. I shall never forget Ernestino Maravalhas (Dragonflies of Portugal - such amazing photos) trying to explain the details of micro moth identification using his Ipad whilst those around him were battling with their starters!
Bearing in mind the excesses of the previous evening. Sunday morning started on time. more talks on the regional studies that are progressing well. i was particularly interested in Nelson Fonseca's work on the Algarve, where, in two newly created habitats, he has found colonies of Libellula fulva which are the first ever apart from a very old record from the Coto Donana which is quite close. He dreams of finding Brachytron pratense which is unknown in Portugal. At least that made me feel at home!
Everybody is interested in Macromia splendens and the final oral session had three papers which all included reference to this, my favourite, insect. My talk was on Macromia on the Guadiaro but, of great interest was the paper on radio tracking the adults in Catalunya. Something else for me to think about.
One other paper from the final session was a session by three young ecologists on estimating biomass of odonata using capture recapture techniques and using the mass of the insects. The paper suggested that areas where the American Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) was present had greatly reduced odonata biomass. Yet another thing to think about.
I was unable to attend the final field trip on the Sunday afternoon and took a good lunch just inside the city walls before a long drive to Almeria. In summary a great conference well organised and most important, many new friends. The next one is suggested for Toledo which is a province in Spain with almost no dragonfly records.
If you were thinking of looking for somewhere that needs more recording and with a great range of species, why not Spain - perhaps Toledo is for you.
The final oral presentations ran a bit late but it hardly mattered as the Symposium dinner followed at 10 pm. It took a bit of finding but Bar Morilles did us proud with local delicacies and much beer. I shall never forget Ernestino Maravalhas (Dragonflies of Portugal - such amazing photos) trying to explain the details of micro moth identification using his Ipad whilst those around him were battling with their starters!
Bearing in mind the excesses of the previous evening. Sunday morning started on time. more talks on the regional studies that are progressing well. i was particularly interested in Nelson Fonseca's work on the Algarve, where, in two newly created habitats, he has found colonies of Libellula fulva which are the first ever apart from a very old record from the Coto Donana which is quite close. He dreams of finding Brachytron pratense which is unknown in Portugal. At least that made me feel at home!
Everybody is interested in Macromia splendens and the final oral session had three papers which all included reference to this, my favourite, insect. My talk was on Macromia on the Guadiaro but, of great interest was the paper on radio tracking the adults in Catalunya. Something else for me to think about.
One other paper from the final session was a session by three young ecologists on estimating biomass of odonata using capture recapture techniques and using the mass of the insects. The paper suggested that areas where the American Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) was present had greatly reduced odonata biomass. Yet another thing to think about.
I was unable to attend the final field trip on the Sunday afternoon and took a good lunch just inside the city walls before a long drive to Almeria. In summary a great conference well organised and most important, many new friends. The next one is suggested for Toledo which is a province in Spain with almost no dragonfly records.
If you were thinking of looking for somewhere that needs more recording and with a great range of species, why not Spain - perhaps Toledo is for you.