A male common darter, which is indeed one of the commoner dragonflies. The males have a habit, on sunny days, of resting in an open spot, usually near water. Even if they are approached too quickly, they sometimes just move a short distance before settling again. The females, greenish-bodied, are more reclusive, and more wary when they are visible.
Common darters come back every summer to the pond which was created a few years ago in Compton Park, though in ever smaller numbers as the pond is increasingly choked with vegetation. At the pond, they are often spotted at rest on the woodwork of the footbridge. This one was even more cooperative: posing on the handrail, so I didn’t even need to bend down to take these pictures.