Wednesday 29 June 2022

Wroxton College Lakes - 29 June

Beautiful Demoiselle 1m
Azure damsel 100+ several in tandem, some ovipositing
Common blue damselfly 10+ 
Blue damselflies a few 100s, identification unconfirmed.
Blue-tailed damselfly 10+ 
Large red damselfly 4 (2m, pair in tandem)
Southern hawker 1m in grounds away from lakes 
Emperor dragonfly 2m 
Four-spotted chaser 3 
Black-tailed skimmer 14m

Steve Holliday 

Banbury/Bodicote - 29 June

Bodicote Fishing Lake:-

1 Banded Demoiselle
5 White legged Damsels 
20+ Azure Damsels
2 Blue Tailed Damsels
8 Red Eyed Damsels
2 Emperor Dragonflies
2 Four Spotted Chasers
1 Common Darter

Bodicote Reservior:-

1 Banded Demoiselle
1 Beautiful Demoiselle
Common Blue/Azure Damselflies
20+ Blue Tailed Damsels
7 Red Eyed Damsels
2 Emperor Dragonflies
2 Four Spotted Chaser
4 Black Tailed Skimmer

Longford Park Storm Water Pond:-

10+ Azure Damselflies
10+ Blue Tailed Damsels
6 Scarce Blue Tailed Damsels 4 males 2 females

Wayne Bull

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull 

White-legged Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull


Otmoor - Roman Road - 28 June

10s Blue Damselflies
4 Ruddy Darters

James Wainscoat

Ruddy Darter © James Wainscoat

Tuesday 28 June 2022

Trap Grounds, Oxford - 28 June

Southern Hawker (1st of year)
Beautiful Demoiselle's 2m 2f
Common Darter 1
Ruddy Darter 1m (another Darter seen but couldn’t ID)
Azure Damselflies  approx 40
Blue-tailed Damselflies 10+

Nicola Devine

Common Darter © Nicola Devine

Southern Hawker © Nicola Devine

Sunday 26 June 2022

Trap Grounds, Oxford - 26 June

Beautiful Demoiselle 4  (1m, 3f)
Brown Hawker (first of year)
Ruddy Darter 1m
Azures 40+ some in cop. some ovipositing
Blue-tailed 5+

Nicola Devine


Beautiful Demoiselle (male) © Nicole Devine

Beautiful Demoiselle (female) © Nicole Devine

Azure Damselflies © Nicole Devine

Thursday 23 June 2022

Oxford Botanic Gardens - 22 June

10s of Small Red-eyed Damselflies 
1 Four spotted Chaser
2 Emperor dragonfly

James Wainscoat

Small Red-eyed Damselflies in cop.© James Wainscoat

Small Red-eyed Damselflies in cop.© James Wainscoat

Emperor & Four-spotted Chaser © James Wainscoat

Wednesday 22 June 2022

Trap Grounds, Oxford 22 June

 

Banded Demoiselle (f) © Nicola Devine

Radley Lakes/Barton Field fishing pool

5 Banded Demoiselle
8 Emerald Damsels (6 males 2 females) Orchard Lake
100's Common Blue Damsels
30+ Azure Damsels
2 Variable Damsels (Barton pool)
20+ Blue Tailed Damsels
15+ Red Eyed Damsels
2 Hairy Dragonflies
4 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Brown Hawker
1 Downy Emerald (Orchard Lake)
15+ Four Spotted Chaser
20+ Black Tailed Skimmer
6 Ruddy Darter (Tenerals)

Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Variable Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond - 22 June

10+ Small Red-eyed Damselfly
Blue Damselflies (Azure only positively identified)
2-3 Blue-tailed Damselfly 
2+m Emperor
3+ Four-spotted Chaser
1-2 Black-tailed Skimmer
2 teneral Ruddy Darter 

Stephen Burch

Small Red-eyed Damselfly (distant record shot) © Stephen Burch


Lye Valley LNR, Headington - 22 June



8 - 10 Keeled Skimmer (all male)

Blue Damselflies

Tuesday 21 June 2022

Trap Grounds, Oxford - 21 June

Four-spotted Chaser
Large Red Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle 2m
Azure Damselfly   3 in cop.  several ovipositing
Blue-tailed Damselfly  10+
Common Blue Damselfly 10+
Many 'Blue' damsels not identified

Nicola Devine 

Four Spotted Chaser, showing some characteristics of the praenubila form © Nicola Devine


Monday 20 June 2022

Woodford Bottom (BBOWT reserve) - Sibford - 20 June

Broad-bodied Chaser 3m 1f.  

Mating seen and female ovipositing in shallow pools (trampled by cattle) where brook is overspilling into the meadow.

Steve Holliday 

Trap Grounds, Oxford

 

Common Blue Damselfly (f) © Nicola Devine

Cothill reserves - 20 June

Dry Sandford Pit:-

4 Large Red Damsels
8+ Southern Damsels
3 Azure Damsels
2 Blue Tailed Damsels
1 Broad Bodied Chaser
6+ Keeled Skimmer

Cothill/Parsonage Moor:-

8+ Large Red Damsels
15+Small Red Damsels
7 Azure Damsels
1 Hairy Dragonfly
1 Emperor
6 Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Black Tailed Skimmer
8+ Keeled Skimmer

Wayne Bull



Small Red Damselfly (m) © Wayne Bull

Small Red Damselflies in cop. (m) © Wayne Bull

Small Red Damselfly (f) © Wayne Bull

Farmoor - 19 June

Many blue damselflies, 
4 Black-tailed skimmers
4 Emperor dragonflies

James Wainscoat

Black-tailed Skimmer © James Wainscoat

Emperor ovipositing © James Wainscoat


Sunday 19 June 2022

Cholsey Meadows - 19 June

3 Small Red-eyed Damselfly

Alan Dawson

 Small Red-eyed Damselfly © Alan Dawson


Saturday 18 June 2022

Cholsey Meadows - 17 June evening

Small Red-eyed Damselfly 3-4. First of year

Geoff Wyatt

Small Red-eyed Damselfly © Geoff Wyatt


Otmoor - 17 June

Four-spotted Chaser
Broad-bodied Chaser 
Black-tailed Skimmer
Hairy Dragonfly 
Brown Hawker - 2
Emperor
Downy Emerald - 3 along bridleway ditch between Roman Road and junction of tracks by feeders. 4th in ditch along bridleway nearer Noke track junction
Ruddy Darter 3-4
Banded Demoiselle
Beautiful Demoiselle - 2 males - long bridleway nearer Noke track junction.
Large Red Damsel
Azure Damsel
Common Blue Damsel
Large Red-eyed Damsel

Geoff Wyatt


Lamb's Pool BBOWT - 17 June

Large red damselfly 2m
White-legged damselfly 12+ includes 3 pair in tandem/wheel
Azure damselfly 30 including several in tandem, some ovipositing
Common blue damselfly 10+
Azure/Common estimate at 200+
Blue-tailed damselfly 10
Red-eyed damselfly 8m
Emperor 4m 1 f/imm
Four-spotted chaser 2
Black-tailed skimmer 2m  

[in iRecord]

Steve Holliday  

Friday 17 June 2022

Standlake Pit 60 - 16 June

Black-tailed Skimmer: huge numbers over the water, as far as I could see, probably 100+

Stephen Burch

Dry Sandford Pit & Parsonage Moor - BBOWT transects - 16 June

Dry Sandford Pit

55 Southern Damselfly
19 Keeled Skimmer
10 Black-tailed Skimmer
1 Broad Bodied Chaser
Large Red Damselfly and Azure Damselfly - large numbers

Parsonage Moor

260 Southern Damselfly
55 Keeled Skimmer
2 Blue tailed Damselfly
1 Emperor 
18 Black-tailed Skimmer
2 Broad Bodied Chaser 
Common Darter - a few
Large Red Damselfly and Azure Damselfly - large numbers

Peter Philp


Radley Lakes - 17 June

1 Emerald Damsel (Orchard Lake)
Common Blue/Azure Damsels
15+ Blue Tailed Damsels
15+ Red Eyed Damsels
1 Hairy Dragonfly (Orchard Lake)
2 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Brown Hawker
1 Downy Emerald (Thrupp Lake)
8+ Four Spotted Chaser
10+ Black Tailed Skimmer
2 Common Darter (Tenerals)

Wayne Bull

Blue tailed damsel rufescens obsoleta © Wayne Bull

Dry Sandford Pit, 17th June

Southern Damselfly : 6m, 3f
Large Red Damselfly : 3m
Keeled Skimmer : 5m

Keeled Skimmer ♂© David Hastings

Southern Damselflies in cop © David Hastings


River Thames NW of Shillingford - 17 June morning

Scarce Chaser 2m still:  From approx 9am it was favouring the last fisherman's bay along the track, a few metres before a gate into the next field. At around 11:30,  a second Scarce Chaser turned up and they flew off high together in the same fashion as yesterday. 

Also present were 

White-legged damselfly 
Emperor 
Brown Hawker
Red-eyed damselfly
Four-spotted chaser
Lots of banded demoiselles and blue damsels

Steve & Pete Roby

Didcot, Dida Gardens pond - 17 June morning

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly: 2m+ in southern corner, 1 on northern edge.
Common Blue/Azure Damselfly
Emperor 1m, 1f ovipositing
Broad-bodied Chaser 3-4m, 1-2f ovipositing
Black-tailed Skimmer 1m

Stephen Burch, Alan Dawson

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly © Stephen Burch

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly © Stephen Burch

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly © Alan Dawson

Broad-bodied Chaser © Stephen Burch


Thursday 16 June 2022

Trap Grounds, Oxford - 16 June

Beautiful Demoiselle (f)
Banded Demoiselle 2 1m 1f
Broad bodied Chaser 1f
Large Red Damselfly 2
Azures, plenty, many in cop. or ovipositing
Common Blue Damselfly approx 20
Blue-tailed Damselfly  approx 20

Nicola Devine

Banded Demoiselle © Nicole Devine

Beautiful Demoiselle © Nicole Devine

Broad bodied Chaser © Nicole Devine


River Thames NW of Shillingford - 16 June

Scarce Chaser 2m! Clashed violently late morning and soared together high vertically in the air whilst doing battle until they were lost from sight. Neither was seen again in the next half an hour.
White-legged Damselfly - several
Clubtail - mature male briefly

Also

Lots of Banded Demoiselles
A few Red-eyed Damselflies
1 Four-spotted Chaser
1 Emperor

Adam Hartley, Wayne Bull, Conor Mackenzie, Ian Lewington et al

Scarce Chaser © Adam Hartley
This appears to be the second Scarce Chaser - it lacks the gap in the trailing edge of the left forewing. 
© Conor Mackenzie

Clubtail © Conor Mackenzie

White-legged Damselfly (female) © Adam Hartley

Cholsey Meadows - 16 June

Black-tailed Skimmer - 1f, pair in cop
Common Darter - teneral

Alan Dawson

Teneral Common Darter © Alan Dawson

Female Black-tailed Skimmer © Alan Dawson


Wednesday 15 June 2022

River Thames NW of Shillingford - 15 June

Scarce Chaser - still present between about 11:40 and 11:50 at exactly the same location - SU 58990 92622. 

Interacting with another darker dragonfly of about the same size. Just possibly a female? In support of this possibility, there are clear dark markings on the abdomen which are caused by copulation. These markings may be more pronounced in the photos taken today than in John's photos from yesterday.

Also reported by Alan Dawson 15:15 - about 50m further along the path

Seen again from 17:00 by Geoff Wyatt.

Thanks v much to John Bloomfield for letting us know so quickly about his great find!

Also in the area:

Banded Demoiselle
Emperor 
White-legged Damselfly 1 - on riverside path closer to hotel

Stephen Burch

Scarce Chaser © Stephen Burch
Scarce Chaser © Stephen Burch


Scarce Chaser © Alan Dawson

Scarce Chaser © Alan Dawson

Scarce Chaser © Alan Dawson

Scarce Chaser © Geoff Wyatt


Didcot, Dida Gardens pond - 14 June evening

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly: c.10. 5m and 5f including a pair in tandem and 2 females ovipositing, one of which was caught and eaten by a water boatman.
Blue-tailed Damselfly: c.10
Broad-bodied Chaser: 5 including 1f ovipositing.
Black-tailed Skimmer: 3 including 1f oviposting.
Emperor: 2 including 1f ovipositing.
Common Darter: 5  
Azure and Common Blue: several

Small wildlife pond is publicly accessible at SU 50875 91109, via Dudcote Field with parking around Brunswick Gardens.

Ian Lewington

Wildlife pond is shown in blue. The SBTD were along the edge shown in red. Also a few on the other larger pond at the location marked by the red dot.
© Ian Lewington

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies © Ian Lewington

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (male) © Ian Lewington

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (female) © Ian Lewington