Otmoor, 29th September

Migrant Hawker 10 (all but one were males)

Common Darter 20+ (2 pairs seen in cop)

Ruddy Darter 1

Migrant Hawker © David Hastings

Ardington - 29 September

 Footpath south of Ardington Brook and House:

1 Migrant Hawker. SU432881
Darter sp. - tandem pair in flight. Presumed Common. SU434881

Stephen Burch

Boundary Brook NR, Oxford - 24 September

Garden Pond:

Common Darter: 2 tandem pairs and at least 6 others on pond and in surrounding vegetation

Large Pond:

Southern Hawker: 2m + 1f 
Common Darter: c. 15

Stephen Burch

Southern Hawker © Stephen Burch. Click here to enlarge

Crop of image above  © Stephen Burch. Click here to enlarge

Faringdon Folly Park Pond - 22 September

Migrant Hawker: c. 10 inc 1f ovipositing and 1 tandem pair 
Southern Hawker: 1m
Ruddy and Common Darters

Stephen Burch

Migrant Hawker © Stephen Burch. Click here to enlarge

Migrant Hawker © Stephen Burch. Click here to enlarge

Trap Grounds & Oxford Canal - 22 September

Trap Grounds (Swan Pond):

Willow Emerald Damselfly 2m, 1f
Darters

Oxford Canal between Aristole Lane and Frenchay Road:

Willow Emerald Damselfly 1f

Nicola Devine

Female Willow Emerald Damselfly © Nicola Devine

Cholsey Meadows - 8 July

Belated record from the new hot spot of Cholsey Meadows which has also had Small Red-eyed Damselfly and Willow Emerald Damselfly this year! 

1m Small Red Damselfly

Roger Wyatt, per Paul Chandler's excellent Cholsey Wildlife Blog

Radley Lakes - 20 September

 2 Common Blue Damsels
6 Red Eyed Damsels
1 Small Red- Eyed Damsel (Male)
1 Brown Hawker
1 Southern Hawker
5 Migrant Hawker
9 Common Darter
4 Ruddy Darter

Wayne Bull

Small Red eyed Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Cholsey Meadows, 18th September

Three pairs of Western Willow Spreadwing (aka Willow Emerald) with the females ovipositing, and two or three solitary males this afternoon between 2 and 3pm. 

Western Willow Spreadwing © David Hastings

Shillingford 16 September pm

One male Willow Emerald Damselfly (at same location as previously reported this week), five Migrant Hawkers and one female Southern Hawker (ovipositing).

Male Willow Emerald Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield

Female Southern Hawker (ovipositing) (c) John Bloomfield

Trap Grounds - 16 September

Main pool:

Willow Emerald Damselfly 6+ including at least 2 tandem pairs ovipositing
Migrant Hawker 1

Between pond and School Meadow: 

Common Darter 10

Footbridge over Waterways to Stone Meadow:

Willow Emerald Damselfly 1m

Nicola Devine

Male Willow Emerald Damselfly © Nicola Devine

Cholsey Meadows - 16 September

4-5 Willow Emerald Damselfly 

Pools are best accessed from Ferry Lane, then walk N along the riverbank and take the first path left, back towards houses. Go to where it opens out and the pools are over to the right near to some new houses.

Probably about SU601858

Alan Dawson

Male Willow Emerald Damselfly © Alan Dawson

Shillingford - 15 September pm

Willow Emerald Damselfly: at least 4 including 1-2 tandem pairs
Blue-tailed Damselfly 1
Southern Hawker 1
Migrant Hawker 2+
Common Darter 4+
Ruddy Darter reported

River Thames backwater at SU 5898 9280. 

Note: the car park opposite the Shillingford Bridge Hotel is pay and display. Pay at hotel reception if machine out of order, or risk a £60 fine! 

Stephen Burch

Male Willow Emerald Damselfly © Stephen Burch. Click here for a larger image

Crop of photo above © Stephen Burch

Male Willow Emerald Damselfly © Stephen Burch. Click here for a larger image

Southern Hawker © Stephen Burch. Click here for a larger image

Farmoor, 15 September

Migrant Hawker - 11+ males
Brown Hawker - female ovipositing on the supports of the bridge over the pond on Buckthorn Meadow
Southern Hawker - 1 male
Common Darter - 9

Brown Hawker © David Hastings

Migrant Hawker © David Hastings

Southern Hawker © David Hastings

Otmoor, Roman Road - 15 September

Willow Emerald Damselfly: 1m turning bronze and 2f.

 On the Roman Road just before the arched bridge at the northern end on the west side (car park side)

Jeremy Dexter

Willow Emerald Damselfly (c) Jeremy Dexter

Lye Valley, Oxford - Keeled Skimmer sightings

Photos of Keeled Skimmer at the Lye Valley, Oxford have been located on the Friends of the Lye Valley Twitter page, indicating its presence in both 2020 and 2021, with probable breeding given the immature seen this year. They are reproduced here by kind permission of Tony Gillie. 

These photos were taken at the north fen ponds SP5469 0574, per Judy Webb. 

The Lye Valley contains alkaline fen, as found at the Cothill reserves which are the stronghold for this species in Oxon.

Stephen Burch

Immature Keeled Skimmer June 2021 (c) Tony Gillie

Mature male Keeled Skimmer June 2020 (c) Tony Gillie

River Thames near Shillingford - 13 September

Same site as yesterday.

 1 m Willow Emerald Damselfly 

Geoff Wyatt

Willow Emerald (male) (c) Geoff Wyatt

Trap Grounds - 12 September

 1 Willow Emerald Damselfly

Nicola Devine

River Thames near Shillingford - 12 September

Willow Emerald Damselfly - 6 including a tandem pair ovipositing on a Willow stem. 

Along the Thames, at the Earth Trust - River of Life backwaters, north west of the Shillingford Bridge Hotel 

SU 5898 9280

From Shillingford bridge hotel, follow the footpath on the south side of the Thames (not the Thames path) north west for about 1km where you reach the Keen Edge Ferry, permissive footpath extension.

The Willow Emeralds were in the backwater near the gate marked by the red dot.

Geoff Wyatt

Wittenham Wood - 11 September

1f Willow Emerald Damselfly

SU573927

 Debbie and Ian Lewington

Willow Emerald Damselfly (c) Ian Lewington

Shillingford & Little Wittenham - 11 September

Three transects, one along the R. Thames Shillingford and two at the Earth Trust, Little Wittenham: Southern Hawker 2, Brown Hawker 1, Migrant Hawker 1, Common Darter 5 (two of which in cop), and Ruddy Darter 5.

Common Darter female (c) John Bloomfield

Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond - 8 September

c. 10 Small Red-eyed Damselflies
1m Migrant Hawker
1m Emperor 
50+ Common Darter, inc many ovipositing tandem pairs

Real end of season feel to the place! Note: the access gate is now secured by a padlocked chain.

Stephen Burch

Migrant Hawker (c) Stephen Burch

Boundary Brook NR. Oxford - 7 September

Southern Hawker 3+
Common Darter 15-20

Stephen Burch

Southern Hawker in flight (my first!) (c) Stephen Burch. Click here to enlarge

Trap Grounds - 7th September

Swan Pond (main viewpoint):

Willow Emerald Damselfly - 1m (brief view in edge of tree to left, flew before I could get a photo)
Southern Hawker 5+
Ruddy/Common Darters

Stephen Burch

The Swan at Streatley - 7 September

Report of a Willow Emerald Damselfly by Elizabeth Lawrance.

SU59538089

Unfortunately just in Berkshire!

Radley Lakes - 6 September

 1 Willow Emerald (Male) - Orchard Lake (SU 52046 96984)
10+ Common Blue Damsels
3 Blue Tailed Damsels 
15+ Red Eyed Damsels
1 Small Red-Eyed Damsel ( Female)
5 Southern Hawker
6 Migrant Hawker
2 Brown Hawker
60+ Common Darter mostly in tandem
10+ Ruddy Darter

Wayne Bull

South Stoke - 5th September

South Stoke, near R Thames SU59488379

Willow Emerald Damselfly 1m

Remarkable record from a new site by John Lindley, per iRecord. 

Private site with no public access.

Willow Emerald Damselfly (c) John Lindley

Otmoor 5th September

Southern Hawker 2
Migrant Hawker 12+
Brown Hawker 2
Ruddy Darter 4
Common Darter 20+
Common Spreadwing 1

Southern Hawker © David Hastings

Migrant Hawker © David Hastings

 

Otmoor Roman Road - 3rd September

1m Southern Hawker 
6 Ruddy Darter

James Wainscoat

Ruddy Darter (c) James Wainscoat

Farmoor meadows - 3rd September

Shrike & Buckthorn Meadow ponds:

Common Blue Damselfly 5+
Migrant Hawker 4
Brown Hawker 2
Common Darter 8 on zig-zag path

Stephen Burch

Migrant Hawker (c) Stephen Burch. Click here to enlarge

Radley Lakes - 3rd September

 3 Emerald Damsels (Females)
7 Common Blue Damsels
3 Azure Damsels
6 Blue Tailed Damsels
20+ Red Eyed Damsels
1 Small Red-Eyed Damsel (Female)
3 Southern Hawker(1f 2m)
1 Brown Hawker
6 Migrant Hawker
5 Common Darter

Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly (female) (c) Wayne Bull

Small-red Eyed Damselfly (female) (c) Wayne Bull

Trap Grounds, Oxford - 3 September early PM

 Willow Emerald Damselfly: 1 ovipositing tandem pair at Swan Pond

First of season at this site!

Nicola Devine

Willow Emerald Damselflies (c) Nicola Devine

Farmoor - 1 September

2 Common Darter - on zig-zag path trying to get warm!

Stephen Burch