Watford Birds and a Variegated Meadowhawk

At first this dragonfly really puzzled me. I couldn't get an identification I felt confident with so I emailed a few experts:

Hi xxxx,

I took your odonate course a couple years ago at the Aboretum and enjoyed it greatly.  I have been investigating dragonflies more closely ever since.  I found a dragonfly I am having a hard time with.  Do you think maybe you could please help me ID it?  Thanks in advance!

And a response:

Coooool.  This looks like a Variegated Meadowhawk!  Where did you see it?  Near a Great Lake? I still haven't seen one in Ontario but got to see some in California last November.


Cheers, xxxx  :)

It turns out with this species, as with other strange ones seen this year, we have a southern dragonfly expanding it range.   This speciment was found at the Twin Creek Landfill in Watford.  A great distance inland and tucked well away from any Great Lake. 

Variegated Meadowhawk

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Red-tailed Hawk (?)

Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria (?)

Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (?)