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 1280 pixels may be provided. These will be displayed at a resolution of 640 pixels horizontally but viewers can then click to see them at full resolution
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| Southern Hawker (sub-adult) |
WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY: 4m along Roman Road, 1m on Bridleway (first of season)
John Lindley per iRecord
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| Willow Emerald (c) John Lindley |
Stormwater pond at SU 41202 88239, just off the A417 to the east of Wantage.
More accessible but newer and smaller than the Grove Meadows one. Looks promising with plenty of algal mats. But in a brief visit in windy & sunny conditions only had 2 Common Darters!
Stephen Burch
50+ Common/Azure Damsels
4 Blue-tailed Damsels
10 (minimum) Common & Ruddy Darters
2 Southern Hawkers
1 Migrant Hawker
Nicola Devine
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| Migrant Hawker (c) Nicola Devine |
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| Ruddy Darter (c) Nicola Devine |
Southern Migrant Hawker: 2m (fully mature).
One again at the corner on the path between first and second screen, and another on Big Otmoor from the bridleway (approx. 200 yards from Noke turn).
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (c) Jeremy Dexter |
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (c) Jeremy Dexter |
R. Thames transect at Shillingford. Banded Demoiselle 21, White-legged Damselfly 97, Azure Damselfly 4, Blue-tailed Damselfly 14, Red-eyed Damselfly 3, Brown Hawker 1. This is by far the largest number of White-legged Damselflies that I've recorded at this site. Temperature was high (~30 deg. C), with negligible wind (<5 mph) and near full sun (cloud cover ~5 %). Male to female ratio was ~5:1.
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| White-legged Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield |
Azure Damsels
Common Blue Damsels
Blue tailed Damsels
Small Red-eyed Damselfly: 10+
Emperor: 6+ inc 2f ovipositing
Brown Hawker: 2
Four-spotted Chaser: 4+
Common Darter
Ruddy Darter
Also 1 Kingfisher
Stephen Burch
Click on the captions to enlarge:
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| Ruddy Darter (c) Stephen Burch |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (c) Stephen Burch |
Common Blue/Azure Damsels: 100s
Red-eyed Damsels: 20+
Black-tailed Skimmer: 100+ all round the water edges
Emperor: 2m
Brown Hawker: 2
Still no sign of any SREDs here, despite apparently suitable habitat
Stephen Burch
Click on the caption to enlarge
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| Red-eyed Damselfly (c) Stephen Burch |
Much more activity than last week:
Common/Azure Damselfly
Black-tailed Skimmer: 100+ over the water
Four-spotted Chaser: 1
Emperor: 1m + 1f ovipositing
Brown Hawker 1
Stephen Burch
Southern Damselfly 4 pairs in cop and 11 individual males, Small Red Damselfly 4 (all males), Keeled Skimmer 16 (13 male and 3 female), Brown Hawker 3
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| Southern Damselfly pair (c) John Bloomfield |
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| Small Red Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer |
Beautiful Demoiselle - 1 on Letcombe Brook near Iron Bridge SU4152092937
Banded Demoiselle - 30+ on brook between Iron Bridge and Lower Mill
Stephen Burch
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (c) Stephen Burch |
Darter sp - 100s (mostly Ruddy)
Emerald Damselfly - 1f
James Wainscoat
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| Ruddy Darter (c) James Wainscoat |
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| Emerald Damselfly (c) James Wainscoat |
An immature male Migrant Hawker turned up in my garden in Abingdon this morning.
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| Migrant Hawker © David Hastings |
University Park
Red-eyed Damselfly – common on University Park pond.
Small Red-eyed Damselfly. 5 males and 1 female University Park pond (including a pair ovipositing).
Blue-tailed Damselfly – moderately common
Azure Damselfly – present, many other Azure/Common not scrutinized
Banded Demoiselle – present
Brown Hawker – 1
Emperor - 2
Broad-bodied Chaser –1 female
Common Darter 1 male confirmed + several other Sympetrum sp. less well seen
New Marston Meadows
Red-eyed Damselfly – common along Kings Mill mill-race but no Small Red-eyed located
Blue-tailed Damselfly – moderately common
Azure Damselfly - present
Common Blue Damselfly – 1 confirmed, many other Azure/Common not scrutinized
Banded Demoiselle – moderately common
Beautiful Demoiselle – one female, Mesopotamia
Brown Hawker –2
Souther Hawker - 1
Emperor -2
Broad-bodied Chaser – 1 male
Black-tailed Skimmer – 1 male
Several unidentified Common/Ruddy Darter
Good numbers of both Demoiselle species, with about 5% Beautiful.
Mark Bradfield
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (c) Mark Bradfield |
Southern Migrant Hawker (imm) again briefly just after 9:00 but not relocated afterwards to 10:30
8 - 10 Brown Hawker
Numerous Ruddy and Common Darter
Banded Demoiselles
Numerous blue Damselfly sp
Observations from four transects, one along the R Thames, Shillingford and three at the Earth Trust, Little Wittenham. The last of these transects was significantly shorted due to cattle in the water meadow (265 observations and 11 species).
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| Banded Demoiselle (c) John Bloomfield |
20+ Beautiful Demoiselle
6 Banded Demoiselle
15+ White Legged Damsels
5 Common Blue Damsels
20+ Azure Damsels
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
8 Red Eyed Damsels
2 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Brown Hawker
2 Four Spotted Chaser
1 Black Tailed Skimmer
3 Common Darter
Wayne Bull
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| White-legged Damselfly (f) (c) Wayne Bull |
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| White-legged Damselfly (m) (c) Wayne Bull |
Small-red eyed Damselfly: 30+ (min. estimate)
Azure/Common Blue Damselfly: many
Blue-tailed Damselfly: 1
Banded Demoiselle: 2-3
Emperor: 2+
Four-spotted Chaser: c. 5+ inc tandem pairs
Black-tailed Skimmer: 2+
Common Darters: many
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| Small-red eyed Damselfly (c) Stephen Burch |
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| Common Darter (c) Stephen Burch |
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| Common Darter (c) Stephen Burch |
In reeds at West end of stormwater pond at SU388888:
1m Emerald Damselfly
Nick Lowton
Causeway - F1 side :
10s Black-tailed Skimmer ()
Buckthorn Meadow Pond (behind Shrike Meadow hide):
10s Common Blue Damselflies
6 Blue-tailed Damselflies
3 Banded Demoiselles
1 Emperor
4 Black-tailed Skimmer
James Wainscoat
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (c) James Wainscoat |
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| Banded Demoiselle (c) James Wainscoat |
1m Emerald Damselfly (Large Pond)
20+ Azure Damselflies
1m Southern Hawker
1f Broad-bodied Chaser
Stephen Burch
Second Ornamental pond:
Small Red-eyed Damselfly
Emperor
James Wainscoat
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| Small Red-eyed Damselfly (c) James Wainscoat |
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| Emperor (c) James Wainscoat |
Southern Hawker - 2 emergences
Nicola Devine, Stephen Burch
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| Southern Hawker with exuvia (c) Stephen Burch |
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| White-legged Damselfly |
No sign of any Southern Migrant Hawkers
1-2 Small Red-eyed Damselfly - on pool to E side of track at SP552141
Four-spotted Chaser on same pool
Brown Hawker
Ruddy Darter (many)
Azure Damselflies (many)
Banded Demoiselle
Stephen Burch
Shifford Lane:
1 Southern Hawker
Pit 60 from Langley Lane hide:
20+ Black-tailed Skimmers over the water
Stephen Burch
Dragonfly survey results for SU595 and SU5695:
45 Banded Demoiselle
29 Common Blue Damsel
31 Blue tailed Damsel
15 Red eyed Damsel
1 White legged Damselfly
1 Four Spotted Chaser well away from river
Mark Bradfield
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| Blue-tailed Damselflies (c) Mark Bradfield |
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| White legged Damselfly (c) Mark Bradfield |
Common Blue Damselfly - hundreds
Blue-tailed Damselfly 11+
Red-eyed Damselfly 5+
Common Spreadwing 2m
Emperor Dragonfly 1
Brown Hawker 1
Four-spotted Chaser 5+
Black-tailed Skimmer 4+
Ruddy Darter 22
Common Darter 1
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| Blue-tailed Damselfy (imm ♀f. rufescens) © David Hastings |
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| Common Spreadwing ♂© David Hastings |
4 Emerald Damsels (Males)
15+ Azure Damsels
20+ Blue Tailed Damsels
8+ Scarce Blue Tailed Damsels inc 2 "Aurantiaca" females
2 Broad Bodied Chaser
2 Common Darter
Also at a small pond about 500m from the storm pool SP4676538727:-
20+ Azure Damsels
6 Blue Tailed Damsels
1 Scarce Blue Tailed Damsel (Mature Female)
1 Emperor Dragonfly (Female)
2 Common Darter
Wayne Bull
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly rufescens obsoleta (c) Wayne Bull |
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| Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly mature female (c) Wayne Bull |
Southern Hawker - 3 emerging!
Nicola Devine
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| Southern Hawker - emergence sequence (c) Nicola Devine |
Small Red-eyed Damselfly (immature)
Nick Lowton
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| Presumed Small Red-eyed Damselfly (immature) (c) Nick Lowton |
SP451249:
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Black-tailed Skimmer
James Wainscoat
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (c) James Wainscoat |
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (imm male - distant record shot) |
Southern Migrant Hawker (imm male)
Second probable individual not PI'd, both at SP 55194 13990 approx 100 metres along bridleway south from metal field gates
2 Brown Hawker
2 Four-spotted Chaser
1 Broad-bodied Chaser
Numerous Ruddy and Common Darter
Banded and Beautiful Demoiselles
Numerous Azure and other blue Damselfly sp
Southern Migrant Hawker - probable immature female on path to second screen about 75 yards north of corner.
Jeremy Dexter
1 Banded Demoiselle
8 Emerald Damsels (6 Males 2 Females)
100's Common Blue Damsels
15+ Azure Damsels
15+ Blue Tailed Damsels
20+ Red Eyed Damsels
3 Emperor Dragonflies
2 Brown Hawker
6 Four Spotted Chaser
20+ Black Tailed Skimmer
8+ Common Darter
15+ Ruddy Darter
Wayne Bull
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| Emerald Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull |
1 Blue-tailed Damselfly
50+ Common Blue Damselfly
1 Common Darter (teneral)
1-2 Black-tailed Skimmer (Pit 60)
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| Common Blue Damselfly (c) Stephen Burch |
