Saturday, November 21: Blobs of day-glo orange bob in the dirt road, away in the distance. A few moments later I roll by – 8 guys, no 10 – a deer hunting posse with slug loaded shotguns scouring the woods in the mid afternoon sun.

Yeah – deer season. The few weeks out of the year in which I usually don’t visit the game area. But this November’s mild weather lures me out to hunt in my own way.

I pull into the parking lot down by the Swan Creek levee. Pickup trucks and cars dot the seasonal road leading down to the parking lot – but the lot itself is empty. I don’t figure anyone would hunt along the levee – the restricted wildlife refuge is to the north, swan creek itself is to the west, and the area to the east is flooded out this year.

But, while no humans hunt here, the Autumn Meadowhawks are still around. Though their numbers are down, they are still common – and are especially easy to spot when the sun breaks out. They sun themselves on the rocks near the levee, on the gravel trail, and on dark oak leaves resting on the ground…

Dragonflies on November 21, in Michigan!