Oding Tonto Creek at Gisela, 24 August 2017

Tonto Creek at Gisela is quite the place for oding, as it has a variety of different habitats to support a diversity of odonates.  I visited Tonto Creek via the small town of Gisela on 24 August 2017, and I wasn't disappointed.  Odes were everywhere, and I had some awesome highlights, including my first ever Neon Skimmers.  Not only were the Neon Skimmers a big highlight, but I really enjoyed having my first outing of 30 species at one stop.  From where I parked at, I probably covered 0.75 miles.  The coverage took me close to six hours, and to have that diversity in that short of a distance, you know that the oding is good at this spot and will continue to be good at other times also.  Other big highlights included a seemingly out of place Spotted Spreadwing, new for Gisela, as well as another new bug for the area, Plateau Dragonlet.  A Giant Darner, Twelve-spotted Skimmer, and Serpent Ringtail were a few of the other species that I really enjoyed.

Neon Skimmer:  This is a striking ode, and it's obviously named for it's fiery-bright abdomen.  It was my lifer for the day, and it was my 72nd ode that I've seen in Arizona in about three months after starting.  This is fun and the fun continues, and I'm now over half of the odes that have been recorded in Arizona.

Spotted Spreadwing-rare and new for location

Sooty Dancer

Female Sooty Dancer looking up...

Abundant American Rubyspots

Pale-faced Clubskimmer (very abundant at this Tonto Creek location)

Widow Skimmers

Mexican Forktails

Common Whitetail (female)

Dusky Dancer

Springwater Dancer

Kiowa Dancer

Red Rock Skimmer

Red Rock Skimmer female in flight

Blue-ringed Dancer

Plateau Dragonlet

Comanche Skimmer

The always lurking Western Pondhawk...

Gray Sanddragon

Powdered Dancer

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Aztec Dancer

Double-striped Bluet

Arroyo Bluet

Serpent Ringtail

Dancer?

Desert Firetail

Full List and numbers estimates (many have to be way off, just like the Suns winning percentage):

American Rubyspot-250
Spotted Spreadwing-1
Kiowa Dancer-2
Sooty Dancer-35
Powdered Dancer-15
Aztec Dancer-10
Springwater Dancer-30
Blue-ringed Dancer-100
Dusky Dancer-45
Arroyo Bluet-30
Double-striped Bluet-8
Pacific Forktail-about 30
Mexican Forktail-about 100
Desert Firetail-40
Common Green Darner-8
Giant Darner-1
Blue-eyed Darner-3
Serpent Ringtail-3
Gray Sanddragon-1-2
Pale-faced Club Skimmer-35
Western Pondhawk-45
Plateau Dragonlet-3
Comanche Skimmer-3
Twelve-spotted Skimmer-1
Widow Skimmer-20
Flame Skimmer-25
Neon Skimmer-15
Blue Dasher-40
Red Rock Skimmer-5
Common Whitetail-4