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. Photos with resolutions up to 2400 pixels in maximum dimension (horizontal or vertical) may be provided. These will be displayed at a resolution of 640 pixels but viewers can then click to see them at full resolution
North End of Queen Pool 07:45 - 11:00.
The RVDs were best viewed from the shade of a large tree at about SP440169. Moving very fast and generally distant.
Red-veined Darter 10+ including pairs in cop. and ovipositing. First breeding record for Oxfordshire?!
Red-eyed Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Emperor
Black-tailed Skimmer
Stephen Burch and Gareth Casburn
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| Distant Red-veined Darters in cop. and ovipositing (record shot) © Stephen Burch |
07:35 to 08:55 (all records from car park). Peter Law
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (imm) @ 08:08 |
Southern Migrant Hawker - just 2 immatures still in the car park and adjacent clearing this morning. All three of my pictures this week have been from the same spot
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (male) |
Red-veined Darter - approximately 10 males over the northern end of the Queen Pool, could well have been more. This was the only darter species I saw or photographed and there were a good number of them constantly over the water.
A short walk along the Brook and surrounding area (c. 10:00-11:00):
Banded Demoiselle - plenty in the shaded vegetation surrounding the Brook; fewer on the Brook itself - tending to perch in the shade.
Nice to come across good numbers, following their no show at Goring on 19 June!
Stephen Burch
A photo of the Norfolk Hawker from this morning's visit with Steve. Only seen for about 20 seconds in the couple of hours we were there.
10:30 - 12:30
1 Norfolk Hawker (v briefly, c. 11:30). About 100m along the track to the east of the Gareth's original location
2+ Lesser Emperor
Emperor
1 Brown Hawker
Four-spotted Chaser
Numerous blue damselflies
Stephen Burch with Gareth Casburn
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| Lesser Emperor (distant) © Stephen Burch |
07:30 to 09:00 (all records from car park). Peter Law
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (imm) @ 07:30 |
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (imm male - see comments) |
Southern Migrant Hawker - c6 immatures less prominent than yesterday, maybe some have dispersed. Most became active around 08:30
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| Emperor (worn female blue form) |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (fem) |
12:45 to 14:15
Southern Migrant Hawker : at least seven immatures, 5 over the car park and two down the main ride.
Azure Damselfly: 20+
White-legged Damselfly : 1f
Emperor Dragonfly: 2
Four-spotted Chaser: 2
Ruddy Darter: 1
Black-tailed Skimmer: 1
David Hastings
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| Ruddy Darter ♂ © David Hastings |
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (imm) |
Norfolk Hawker, male. Seen briefly but well through bins in bushes at the south end of John Allen Pit. Unfortunately it flew off before photos and not seen again.
Lesser Emperor 4 (3 m, 1 f)
Geoff Wyatt
10:00 to 11:30
Banded Demoiselle 1f
Common Blue Damselfly 250+
Blue-tailed Damselfly 4
Red-eyed Damselfly 4
Emperor Dragonfly 10
Lesser Emperor 2
Brown Hawker 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 15+
Four-spotted Chaser 15+
Common Darter 20+
Most of the Common Darters were teneral, so there must have been a mass emergence yesterday or today.
David Hastings
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (teneral ♀) © David Hastings |
Grimsbury Reservoir
1 Hairy Dragonfly
Borrow Pit pool, Upper Cherwell Valley
1 Hairy Dragonfly
15+ teneral darters, 1 confirmed as Ruddy and 5 confirmed as Common
Common species were numerous, but also per Stephen B's note - very few Banded Demoiselles and no Beautiful noted and we didn't seem to get the big peak in numbers like usual.
4-5 Lesser Emperors in the Tar Lakes complex some looking quite worn.
Also 1 'Red' Darter but couldn't narrow down to species.
Jeremy Dexter
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| Lesser Emperor in flight © Jeremy Dexter |
Norfolk Hawker - a male in the same area of the main lake (SP431163) as last year giving fantastic views as it patrolled a small territory, regularly perching on the lakeside vegetation.
Lesser Emperor - a tandem pair ovipositing on the area of the Queen Pool near the Fisheries Cottage, and one other male.
No sign of the Red-veined Darter today.
Gareth Casburn
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| Norfolk Hawker © Gareth Casburn |
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| Norfolk Hawker in flight © Gareth Casburn |
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| Lesser Emperor tandem pair ovipositing © Gareth Casburn |
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| Lesser Emperor tandem pair ovipositing © Tess Wright |
3 Lesser Emperor: 2 on Bullfield lake and 1 on a new pool for them at SU5164097309.
Wayne Bull
Mainly Orchard Lake 14:30 to 15:30
Azure Damselfly 20+
Common Blue Damselfly 10+
Red-eyed Damselfly 12+
Emperor Dragonfly 1
Hairy Hawker 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 7
Four-spotted Chaser 4
Ruddy Darter 2
David Hastings
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| Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings |
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| Ruddy Darter (imm ♀) © David Hastings |
David Hastings
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| Southern Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings |
White-legged Damselfly 5+: downstream end of Little Meadow
No sign of any Clubtails over the river or on the bushes.
Remarkable absence of Banded Demoiselle as well - none seen! Has anyone else noticed a lack of this normally numerous species this year?
Stephen Burch
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| White-legged Damselfly [focus-stacked] © Stephen Burch |
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| White-legged Damselfly [focus-stacked] © Stephen Burch |
(Southern?) Migrant Hawker. 8-10 ( none seen anywhere else) - see note below
Emperor 6 incl. ovipositing
Hairy Dragonfly One at the westerly pond
Common/Ruddy Darter 10 plus imm. along the rides
Four spot Chaser 7
Large Red Damselfly 1
Common Blue Damselfly 2 at least
Azure Damselfly 30 at least
Blue tailed Damselfly 4
Beautiful Demoiselle 1 male
Banded Demoiselle 1 male
Black tailed Skimmer 3
Broad bodied Chaser 1 fem. Ovipositing
White legged Damselfly 4 along the rides.
John Edwards
Note John has provided the following description of the 8-10 hawkers he saw in the car park:
"In the car park were 8-10 hawkers zooming about in a loose group. I initially thought of Southern Migrant Hawker due to their yellow colouring but that number seems not feasible. I then thought Migrant Hawker but surely too early? I have never seen this amount of yellow immatures before, let alone in June. They did not settle at all and were too fast for a photo of any kind"
Any thoughts anyone?
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| Ruddy Darter © John Edwards |
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| White-legged Damselfly © John Edwards |
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| Emperor ovipositing © Phil Cruse |
Red-veined Darter - 1 male seen briefly over the water at the north end of the Queen Pool near the Fisheries Cottage. Despite giving it an hour or so, I didn't see it again. A brief view of another pale darter could possibly have been a female but too brief a view and no photos to confirm. I didn't see any other darters.
Lesser Emperor - 1 male seen in the same spot as the darter.
Parsonage Moor
Broad-bodied chaser - 1
Large red damselfly - 1
Azure damselfly - c. 10
Four-spotted chaser - 4
Emperor dragonfly - 2
Hairy dragonfly - 1
Keeled skimmer - 3
Blue-tailed damselfly - 2
Black-tailed skimmer - 1
Southern damselfly - c. 20
Cothill NNR
Black-tailed skimmer - 4
Broad-bodied chaser - 2
Emperor dragonfly - 2
Four-spotted chaser - 1
Hairy dragonfly - 1
Small red damselfly - c. 10
Blue-tailed damselfly - 2
Large red damselfy - 2
Keeled skimmer - 2
Beautiful demoiselle - 1
Lots of azures/common blues
Oxford Botanic Garden
Azure damselfly
Red-eyed damselfly
Small red-eyed damselfly
Blue-tailed damselfly
Broad-bodied chaser
Emperor dragonfly - 2 egg-laying females
Eoin Morris
Lesser Emperor, 2.
A male and female in tandem, harassed by a male Emperor.
Geoff Wyatt
This recently created site, serving housing development to the west of Chalgrove (51.674778, -1.100130; SU623977) yielded:
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| Broad-bodied Chaser |
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| Black-tailed Skimmers |
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| Four-spotted Chaser |
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| The maturing larger pond - SU 62310 97728 |
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| A new second pond |
Common Blue Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Emperor 1m
Four-spotted Chaser 1
Black-tailed Skimmer 1
Stephen Burch
NB Gate now secured by a padlocked chain
2 Lesser Emperor - first site record?
1 Southern Migrant Hawker - teneral male
10+ White-Legged Damselflies
Jeremy Dexter
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (teneral male) © Jeremy Dexter |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly ovipositing © Paul Wyeth |
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| Azure Damselfly (m) © Paul Wyeth |
A brief visit to check the pools. Small numbers of Emperor Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer and blue damselflies seen, but no darters.
The pool that the Red-veined Darters were ovipositing in is drying out rather rapidly.
Lesser Emperor 1
Seen patrolling the stream that feeds from the Thames to Church Farm Backwaters, approximately 1km north of Day's Lock.
Bicester Wetland Reserve Dragonfly survey 13 June 2026
Banded Demoiselle 6m 2f
Common Blue Damselfy 21m 3f including 2 pairs in tandem and 1 pair in cop.
Azure Damselfy 5m
Blue-tailed Damselfy 5m
Red-eyed Damselfy 2m
Emperor 5m
Four-spotted Chaser 4
Broad-bodied Chaser 3m 1 f – female ovipositing
Black-tailed Skimmer 11m 6f including 4 pair in cop and 2 females ovipositing
Steve Holliday and Gareth Blockley
10:30 to 12:30
Beautiful Demoiselle : 1
Azure Damselfly : 20+
Common Blue Damselfly : 4
Blue-tailed Damselfly : 1
White-legged Damselfly : 8
Emperor Dragonfly: 6
Hairy Hawker : 1
Four-spotted Chaser : 9
Black-tailed Skimmer : 1
David Hastings
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| White-legged Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings |
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| Four-spotted Chaser ♂ © David Hastings |
3 Common blue-tailed damselflies (Ischnura elegans) - 2 males and 1 female
1 Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) - male
1 Hairy Hawker (Brachytron pratense)
1 Downy Emerald and (Cordulia aenea)
1 Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - female or immature male
At least 3 Ruddy Darters (Sympetrum sanguineum) - all immatures
Azure Damselflies in good numbers.
Eoin Morris
From Buckthorn Meadow to Pinkhill 14:45 to 16:00
Banded Demoiselle 6
Azure Damselfly 50+
Blue-tailed Damselfly 3
Red-eyed Damselfly 3
Emperor Dragonfly 1 (♀ ovipositing)
Four-spotted Chaser 4
Black-tailed Skimmer 2
David Hastings
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| Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings |
I was surprised to find an immature male Beautiful Demoiselle in my garden in Aston, west Oxon this afternoon.
David Hastings
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| Immature male Beautiful Demoiselle © David Hastings |
Belated news of a first site record:
1 Four-spotted Chaser
Helen Edwards
Both lakes checked but not the stream.
Hairy Dragonfly, 6
Darter sp., 1 adult male seen distantly and briefly 3 times over the large lake. Considering time of year, the national influx and having just found the Wroxton Quarry Red-veined Darters, I think there is a good chance this was another one.
12 species recorded (not including the unidentified darter) with other more common species quite numerous. For example, easily over 1000 Azure and Common Blue Damselflies mostly over the lake surfaces.
Hairy Dragonfly, 3 - SP 4707 4041
I think it's now reasonable to assume all suitable habitats in Banbury has this species.
SU 508 983:
1 Beautiful Demoiselle
Mike Flemming
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| Beautiful Demoiselle © Mike Flemming |
Multiple Odonata twitchers turned out on Sunday morning for yesterday's Red-veined Darters which fortunately obliged under more changeable weather conditions today.
3+ male Red-veined Darters
2 male Black-tailed Skimmers
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| All photos courtesy of Ian Lewington |
