Jason Avery: Dragonflies and Damselflies of Calvert
Jason Avery's interest in the natural world began when, at the age of 9, he followed his cousin as he checked Eastern Bluebird boxes. From this beginning, he grew into an avid birder and wildlife photographer. Along the way, he developed a keen interest in odonates (dragonflies and damselflies). In 2018, Jason worked with Naturalist Andy Brown to create a volunteer program aimed at documenting the odonates of Calvert County. As well as finding and photographing many species himself, Jason works as the manager for the Calvert Stewards Dragonflies & Damselflies program, helping other volunteers in their search efforts and recording and reporting their discoveries. So far, the volunteers have documented 73 of the 83 species reported in the county. If you've ever tried to photograph a dragonfly, then you know it can be quite a challenge.
Jason says the effort can sometimes be daunting, but he's up to the task. "Some of my goals this season took a lot of work. Like climbing down an embankment at Ward District Park and standing in one spot for an hour and 20 minutes just to catch a Cyrano Darner. I watched it patrol and get close to me and even got photos of it perched, but that wasn't good enough. I needed an in hand close up shot of the head to help confirm that prominent frons from where it gets its name." No dragonflies are active in the winter in Maryland, so Jason will be "watching the calendar for late March when I can grab my gear and my net and be on the hunt again."
