Hairy Dragonfly - 9 min (all males)
Red-eyed Damselfly - 5
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 7
Demoiselles - both numerous
Common and Azure Blue damselflies - both numerous

A blog for sightings of Dragonflies and Damselflies in Oxfordshire. To submit records and photos for posting, just email stephen_burchemail at yahoo.co.uk. NEW! Photos will be displayed at a resolution of 640 pixels horizontally but images at higher resolutions up to 1280 pixels horizontally may be provided - viewers of this Blog will be able to click on these images to see them at full resolution
Sunday, 28 May 2023
Grimsbury Reservoir and River Cherwell - 28 May
Saturday, 27 May 2023
Didcot - 27 May 2023
Dida Gardens Pond:
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly 4 male 1 female (aurantiaca)
Blue-tailed Damselfly 1 male
Large Red Damselfly 10
Hairy Dragonfly 1f ovipositing
Broad-bodied Chaser 3 teneral
Great Western Pond (100m west of Dida Gardens)
Emperor 1
Four-spotted Chaser 3
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Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (female, aurantiaca) © Ian Lewington |
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Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (male) © Ian Lewington |
Friday, 26 May 2023
River Thames upstream from Shillingford
Banbury Area - 19 May - 26 May
19/05/23 - River Cherwell, Grimsbury Reservoir
SP 45901 41728 to SP 46537 42684 but mostly near the railway bridge
Hairy Dragonfly - 1 (teneral male? - picture attached)
Large Red Damselfly - 1 (picture)
Blue-tailed Damselfly -1
Azure Blue Damselfly - 7 (picture)
Common Blue Damselfly - 3
Beautiful Demoiselle - c.50!
Banded Demoiselle - c.10
20/05/23 - River Cherwell, Grimsbury Reservoir
Location as above
Very similar species with differences being
Hairy Dragonfly - 5 - 4 mature males and a pair in cop
Broad-bodied Chaser - 1 teneral
Large Red Damselfly - 4 (inc. pair in cop)
Numerous teneral Blue Damselflies
Banded Demoiselle - c.20
20/05/23 - Clattercote Reservoir - Mike Pollard
Hairy Dragonfly - 3-4
21/05/23 - River Cherwell, Grimsbury Reservoir - Clive Payne
Hairy Dragonfly - 1
26/05/23 - Clattercote Reservoir
Hairy Dragonfly - min 7 - 6 mature males and a female egg laying and then grabbed by a male and taken up to a tree (picture)
Four-spotted Chaser - 1
Red-eyed Damselfly - min 33 (inc. 6 pairs in cop)
Common Blue Damselfly - 11 (inc. 3 pairs in cop)
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 8
Azure Damselfly - 4 (inc. 1 pair in cop)
Gareth Blockley
Large Red Damselfly © Gareth Blockley |
Hairy Dragonfly © Gareth Blockley |
Cholsey - 26 May 23
Gatehampton Railway Bridge (Goring) - 26 May
Clubtails:
2 Exuviae (excluding the emergent)
1 Emergent
2 recently emerged
Also many Banded Demoiselle
NB more vegetation than previously above the bridge abutment (which is also being eroded from behind the wall - care needed!), so difficult to see exuviae and emergents.
Stephen Burch
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Emerged Clubtail with exuvia © Stephen Burch |
Rousham Lakes and Steeple Barton Lake - 26 May
Rousham Lakes (Private Site) :-
10+ Beautiful Demoiselle
6 Large Red Damsels
Common & Azure Damsels
15+ Red Eyed Damsels
12+ Downy Emerald inc 2 Females 1 ovipositing
20+ Four Spotted Chaser
Steeple Barton Lake (Public access to southern end of lake through church yard then footpath) :-
6+ Beautiful Demoiselle
Common & Azure Damsels
1 Blue Tailed Damsel
10+ Red Eyed Damsels
4+ Downy Emerald
10+ Four Spotted Chaser
Wayne Bull
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Downy Emeralds © Wayne Bull |
Parsonage Moor - 26 May
Southern Damselfly: 32 including 6 pairs in tandem.
Common Blue Damselfly: 13
Large Red Damselfly: 4
Keeled Skimmer: 2 imm males and a female
Hairy Dragonfly: 2
Broad-bodies Chaser: 1m
Four-spotted Chaser: 5
Black-tailed Skimmer: 2m & 1f
Peter Philp
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Teneral Keeled Skimmer © Peter Philp |
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Southern Damselfly © Peter Philp |
Thursday, 25 May 2023
R. Thames near Shillingford - 25 May
Abingdon area - 25 May pm
Abingdon Lock:
Common Clubtail: 1m perched briefly on the handrail of the weir.
Also one on the Thames about halfway between Barton Fields and the cut through to Orchard Lake.
Barton Fields area including fishing pool and ditch towards lock:
Common Blue Damselfly: 60+
Azure Damselfly: 30+
Blue-tailed Damselfly: 20+
Large Red Damselfly: 12
Banded Demoiselle: 60+
Red-eyed Damselfly: 12
Orchard Lake:
Downy Emerald: 2
Hairy Dragonfly: 2
Four-spotted Chaser: 5
Broad-bodied Chaser: 1
Red-eyed Damselfly: 30+
Common Blue Damselfly: 6
Azure Damselfly 3
Radley Lakes & Barton Field - 25 May 2023
Thrupp Lake:
Common Blue Damselfly: 20+
Red-eyed Damselfly: 1-2
Blue-tailed Damselfly: 1
No sign of any Downy Emeralds
Barton Field - fishing pool:
Hairy Dragonfly 2+
Four-spotted Chaser 1
Common Blue Damselfly: 2+
NB: access to the northern shore blocked by a large fallen tree.
Stephen Burch
Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Chimney Meadows, 24th May
Sightings were near the bridge over the lock cut. (SP366007)
Banded Demoiselle : 60+
Red-eyed Damselfly : 1
Blue-tailed Damselfly : 2
Common Blue Damselfly : 5+
Common Clubtail : 1
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Banded Demoiselle ♂© David Hastings |
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Common Clubtail (immature ♂) © David Hastings |
David Hastings
Scantlebury Road Pond, Wantage - 24 May 2023
Covered by almost 100% duck weed. Only Odonata were at west end where a little clear water for now.
Large Red Damselfly: 1
Azure Damselfly: 3
Stephen Burch
Grove Meadows - 24 May 2023
Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Springs Golf Club at North Stoke - 23 May
University Parks - 18 May
Monday, 22 May 2023
Cholsey - 22 May
Cholsey Meadows:
c.5 Four-spotted Chaser
Azure Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
River Thames at Cholsey:
Clubtail 2
Banded Demoiselle
Beautiful Demoiselle
Common Blue Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
Alan Dawson
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Common Blue Damselfly © Alan Dawson |
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Azure Damselflies © Alan Dawson |
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Four-spotted Chaser © Alan Dawson |
Sunday, 21 May 2023
Shillingford to Little Wittenham - 20 May
13 Banded Demoiselle, 24 Azure Damselflies, 1 Blue-tailed Damselfly, 100+ Common Blue Damselfly, 8 Large Red Damselflies, 3 Hairy Dragonflies, 2 Four-spotted Chasers, and 1 Clubtail (F).
Entered in iRecord
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Hairy Dragonfly (male) (c) John Blomfield |
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Four-spotted Chaser (c) John Bloomfield |
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Clubtail (female) (c) John Bloomfield |
Dry Sandford Pit and Parsonage Moor - 18 May
Parsonage Moor:
Large Red Damselfly - 1
Common Blue Damselfly - 1
Broad Bodied Chaser - 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 1
Saturday, 20 May 2023
Trap Grounds 20th May
Friday, 19 May 2023
Thames at Shillingford - 19 May
Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Appleford Gravel Pit - 16 May
Cholsey Marsh - 17th May
Monday, 15 May 2023
Sunday, 14 May 2023
River of Life downstream from Clifton Hampden - 14 May
Incredible total of 27 Clubtails and 11 exuviae!!
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One of 27 Clubtails! (c) Mark Bradfield |