Trap Grounds, Oxford 25 June

Azure Damselfly - many
Emperor - 1
Ruddy Darters - several 

James Wainscoat

Ruddy Darter © James Wainscoat

Emperor ovipositing © James Wainscoat 

Longford Park, Banbury - 29 June

14+ Emerald Damsels  inc 3 pairs in Tandem
1 Common Blue Damsel
8 Azure Damsels
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
2 Scarce Blue Tailed Damsels Male & Female
1 Emperor Dragonfly
2 Four Spotted Chasers
20+ Common Darter Tenerals
4 Ruddy Darter 

Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly (m)  © Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselflies in cop. © Wayne Bull

Scarce Blue Tailed Damselfly (f) © Wayne Bull

Scarce Blue Tailed Damselfly (m) © Wayne Bull

Otmoor: Oddington end - 29 June PM

Bridleway from Oddington to Big Otmoor:

Blue Damselflies
Banded Demoiselle 20+
Red-eyed Damselfly
Southern Hawker 2
Brown Hawker 2+
Ruddy/Common Darter

No sign of any SMH (again!)

Stephen Burch

Oxford - 14 - 18 June

Christ Church Meadow: 

June 15th 

Red-eyed  Damselfly - many
Banded Demoiselle - many males, 
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
White Legged Damselfly - 1
Common Clubtail - 1

June 17th

Banded Demoiselle, including a mating pair, 
Red-eyed  Damselfly 
Common Blue Damselfly
Black tailed Skimmer 2-3+

Worcester College:

June 14th

Red-eyed Damselfly - 10s to 100s on the lake 
Common Blue Damselfly 10s on the pond
Emperor - 3+

June 18th

Red-eyed Damselfly - 10s to 100s on the lake and several at pond
Common Blue Damselfly 10s on the pond
Emperor - 2 at pond, one ovipositing
Black tailed Skimmer - on path by water
Banded Demoiselle - pond
Blue-tailed Damselfly

Jake Dudderidge

Common Clubtail © Jake Dudderidge

Banded Demoiselle © Jake Dudderidge

Emperor ovipositing © Jake Dudderidge

Otmoor - Noke to Oddington path - 26 June

2 Teneral SOUTHERN MIGRANT HAWKERS (both males) 

On the bridleway between Noke and Oddington. 

Grid ref SP 55121 13759 - approx 75 yards from northern edge of big Otmoor just before the Poplars (if heading north).

Top tip: "scan at say 6-15 feet height, they like tall hawthorn/blackthorn to land on" 

Jeremy Dexter

Teneral Southern Migrant Hawker © Jeremy Dexter

Teneral Southern Migrant Hawker © Jeremy Dexter

Banbury area - 9 to 25th June

09/06/23 - River Cherwell / Grimsbury Reservoir

Hairy Dragonfly - 6-7
Black-tailed Skimmer - 3 (1 pair)
Azure/Common Blue - several hundred, mostly paired up and egg laying (appeared to be mostly Azure)
Blue-tailed Damselfly - several
Red-eyed Damselfly - several
Demoiselles - several of each (numbers seemed to have really dropped off)

09/06/23 - Borrow Pit pool (SP 46432 43194) / Upper Cherwell Valley 

Emperor Dragonfly - 3 m
Four-spotted Chaser - 2
Black-tailed Skimmer - 1
Azure/Common Blue (mostly Common)
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle
White-legged Damselfly - 8

11/06/23 - Borrow Pit pool / Upper Cherwell Valley 

Emperor Dragonfly - 1
Black-tailed Skimmer - 3 m
Four-spotted Chaser - 2
Red-eyed Damselfly - 18
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 8
Common Blue Damselfly - c.45
Azure Damselfly - 1
White-legged Damselfly - 7

25/06/23 - River Cherwell / Grimsbury Reservoir

Southern Hawker - 1
Brown Hawker - 2
Hairy Dragonfly - 1
Black-tailed Skimmer - 10+
Azure/Common Blue - numerous
Demoiselles - still a few of each
Blue-tailed Damselfly - several
White-legged Damselfly - 1
Red-eyed Damselfly - 10+

25/06/23 - Borrow Pit pool / Upper Cherwell Valley

Broad-bodied Chaser - 1
Four-spotted Chaser - 3
Emperor Dragonfly - 2
Black-tailed Skimmer - 3
Red-eyed Damselfly - c.20
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 4
Common Blue Damselfly - numerous
White-legged Damselfly - 2

25/06/23 - Clattercote Reservoir

Azure / Common Blue Damselfly - numerous (mostly Common)
Red-eyed Damselfly - numerous
Blue-tailed Damselfly - c.20
White-legged Damselfly - 17
Small Red-eyed Damselfly - c.10+
Banded Demoiselle - 3
Hairy Dragonfly - 2
Emperor Dragonfly - 7-8 (inc. egg laying)
Four-spotted Chaser - 6
Black-tailed Skimmer - c.30
Rudder Darter - 1 teneral/female

Gareth Blockley

Clifton Hampden - 24 June

 River of Life 2 - SU 5595 and 5695:

Common blue Damselfly 574
Red eyed Damselfly  166
Blue tailed Damselfly 131
Banded Demoiselle 169
White Legged Damselfly  69 (by far the most we have had), many paired up.
Southern Hawker 4
Emperor 15 (several ovipositing)
Black tailed Skimmer 72 (many freshly emerging)
Broad bodied Chaser  5
Four spotted Chaser 9
Common Darter 2
Ruddy Darter 1

Mark Bradfield

 Black tailed Skimmer - a maturing immature male © Mark Bradfield

White Legged Damselflies in cop. © Mark Bradfield

Emperor © Mark Bradfield

Bernwood Meadows - 23 June

1 Emperor
1 Ruddy Darter

Paul Wyeth

Emperor © Paul Wyeth

Ruddy Darter (imm) © Carolyn Tovell

Radley Lakes, 23rd June

Banded Demoiselle 1
Common Blue Damselfly 50+
Azure Damselfly 2
Blue-tailed Damselfly 4
Red-eyed Damselfly 6
Common Spreadwing 3f
Emperor Dragonfly 1
Southern Hawker 2
Hairy Hawker 1
Downy Emerald 2
Broad-bodied Chaser 2
Four-spotted Chaser 3
Black-tailed Skimmer 6
Ruddy Darter 25+

Four-spotted Chaser © David Hastings

Common Spreadwing © David Hastings

Southern Hawker © David Hastings

Boundary Brook NR, Oxford - 23 June

Azure Damselfly - good numbers at all 3 ponds. About 50+ total.
Large Red Damselfly - all 3 ponds. c. 20-30 total
Blue-tailed Damselfly  - 1 at large pond
Ruddy Darter - 1imm at large pond

NB A probable Brown Hawker reported on 24 June (first site record if confirmed)

Stephen Burch

Cholsey - Green Lane 23 June 23

Common Blue Damselfly
Southern Hawker
Four-spotted Chaser

Alan Dawson

Southern Hawker © Alan Dawson

Radley Lakes - 23 June

1 Banded Demoiselle
10+ Emerald Damsels - all at Orchard Lake
4 Large Red Damsels
100's Common Blue Damsels
Azure Damsels
12+ Blue Tailed Damsels
30+ Red Eyed Damsels
4 Hairy Dragonflies
4 Emperor Dragonflies
4 Brown Hawker
3 Downy Emerald ( 1 North west corner of Thrupp lake, 1 Orchard Lake, 1 Bullfield Lake)
10+ Four Spotted Chaser
10+ Black Tailed Skimmer
50+ Ruddy Darter

Wayne Bull

Blue-tailed Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly (f)  © Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly (m)  © Wayne Bull

Ruddy Darter © Wayne Bull

West Hanney - 22 June

c. 50-100 Banded Demoiselle - between the footbridge and the stile.
1-2 Beautiful Demoiselle

Stephen Burch

Banded Demoiselle [focus stacked] © Stephen Burch

Cholsey Meadows - 22 June

Emerald Damselfly: 2m, 2f 
Brown Hawker
Emperor 
Black-tailed Skimmer
Four-spotted Chaser
Common Blue Damselfly 
Azure Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
White-legged Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly

Alan Dawson

Emerald Damselfly (f) © Alan Dawson

Emerald Damselfly (mature m) © Alan Dawson

Ruddy Darter © Alan Dawson

Radley Lakes - 22 June

 

Ruddy Darters in cop. and female Blue-tailed Damselfly (infuscans) © Mark Chivers

Radley Lakes - 21 June

 

Ruddy Darter (female/immature) © Mark Chivers

Cholsey Meadows - 19 June

Brown Hawker
Emperor 
Black-tailed Skimmer
Four-spotted Chaser
Common Blue Damselfly 
Azure Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
White-legged Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly

Alan Dawson

• 

  Broad-bodied Chaser © Alan Dawson

Radley Lakes - 19 June

 

Black-tailed Skimmer © Mark Chivers

Wroxton College Lakes - 18 June

Beautiful demoiselle 8 (6m 2f) 
Azure damselfly – many
Common blue damselfly – many
Blue damsels – 400+
Blue-tailed damselfly 5m
Red-eyed damsefly 4m plus a pair in tandem - my first at the site. 
Hairy Dragonfly1m 
Four-spotted Chaser 1 
Black-tailed Skimmer 10m, 1 pair in tandem, 1 female ovipositing 
Common Darter 3 teneral

Steve Holliday

Ruddy Darter emergent  © Steve Holliday

Broad-bodied Chaser in Shutford Garden © Gill Holliday

Trap Grounds, Oxford - 17 June

Numerous Azure Damselflies
2 Blue-tailed Damselflies
6 Banded Demoiselles

James Wainscoat

Banded Demoiselles in cop. © James Wainscoat

Shillingford to Little Wittenham - 16 June

Repeat transect from 3 June 2023, again with good numbers of Odonata seen and again with 13 species recorded including first Emerald Damselfly and first Brown Hawker of the year at this site.

Banded Demoiselle 76, Emerald Damselfly (F) 1, White-legged Damselfly 41, Azure Damselfly 444+, Common Blue Damselfly 80+, Blue-tailed Damsefly 7, Red-eyed Damselfly 8, Hairy Dragonfly (pair in cop) 2, Brown Hawker 1, Emperor 7, Four-spotted Chaser 44, Black-tailed Skimmer 5, and Ruddy Darter 29. 

Added to iRecord

Emerald Damselfly (c) John Bloomfield

Ruddy Darter (c) John Bloomfield

Stonesfield Common, 15th June

Beautiful Demoiselle 1
Banded Demoiselle 2

David Hastings

Aston, 15th June

The first dragonfly emerged from my garden pond today - a Broad-bodied Chaser. I found the exuvia 2m from the pond. Also a pair of Common Blue Damselflies in tandem, and a female Blue-tailed Damselfly. 

David Hastings

Broad-bodied Chaser © David Hastings

Various sites - 30 April to 16 June

Some recent and few less recent records from two new observers:

Otmoor – 30-4-23

Hairy Dragonfly x 1

Lashford Lane Fen, Dry Sandford – 28-5-23

4-spotted Chaser x 1

River Ock at Ock Brook bridge between W.Hanney & Southmoor – 3-6-23

Beautiful Demoiselles – x 20+ M/F

Farmoor-Pinkhill lagoon from hide – 15-6-23

Black-tailed Skimmers x 20+
Broad-bodied Chasers x 10+

Farmoor-R Thames – 15-6-23

Banded Demoiselles x3 m, x1 f
Red-Eyed Damselfly x 1m

Garden pond at West Hanney – 16-6-23

Azure damselfly x 1m
Large Red damselfly x3m, 1f
Blue-tailed damselfly x1m

Tim & Ali Baker

Large Red Damselfly © Tim Baker

Hairy Dragonfly © Tim Baker

Beautiful Demoiselle © Tim Baker

Banded Demoiselle © Tim Baker

Azure Damselfly © Tim Baker

Faringdon Folly Park Pond - 16 June AM

Banded Demoiselle: 1
Common Blue Damselfly: 100s
Blue-tailed Damselfly: 20+
Red-eyed Damselfly: 30+
Small Red-eyed Damselfly: 2+
Large Red Damselfly: 1
Emperor: 3+ m 2+ f ovipositing
Four-spotted Chaser: numerous  30+. Ovipositing and in flight mating seen.

Stephen Burch

Red-eyed Damselfly in flight © Stephen Burch

Red-eyed Damselflies in flight © Stephen Burch

Four-spotted Chaser (m) © Stephen Burch

Cholsey Meadows - 16 June

1m Emerald Damselfly

Alan Dawson

Emerald Damselfly (m) with damaged wing © Alan Dawson

Dida Gardens - 14 June

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly  3 (2m, 1f) getting harder to find – dispersing into surrounding grass
Emerald Damselfly 10
Black-tailed Skimmer 2
Emperor 2

Ian Lewington 

Scarce blue-tailed Damselflies (f)  (c) Ian Lewington