Hovering Eastern Amberwings

These Eastern Amberwing dragonflies were hovering over the water, though I'm unsure what else was going on in the 2nd picture. The 1st picture looks like a male that's hovering over water; the only thing that's a little unusual there is that he's got his "tail" (really the abdomen) held nearly straight up, a position I usually see only when they're perched somewhere. I believe they do that to limit the sunlight/heat they're absorbing, so I'm guessing this little fella was trying to cool off a bit.

June 29, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 301249237, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

In the 2nd picture it looks like a 2nd dragonfly is photobombing in front of the 1st. The size and wing pattern seems consistent with a female Eastern Amberwing; perhaps the 1st dragonfly caught her eye and she's looking for a "date"?

Of course, if I'm wrong about the 2nd dragonfly being a female Eastern Amberwing, then the explanations head in a totally different direction:
  • As one of our smallest dragonflies, Eastern Amberwings are in some danger of getting eaten by larger species.
  • Or some dragonflies, especially males, will try and confront and scare off rivals, even if the "rival" is a vaguely similar dragonfly of another species.

June 29, 2023 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 301249249, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

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