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
WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY (1 fem Orchard)
Emerald Damselfly (1m/1f Orchard Lake)
Azure Damselfly (very common)
Common Blue Damselfly (very common)
Blue-tailed Damselfly (30+)
Red eyed Damselfly (5+)
Banded Demoiselle (4)
Brown Hawker (5)
Emperor (6)
Black tailed Skimmer (20+)
Hairy Dragonfly (1)
Four-spotted Chaser (5)
Ruddy Darter (10+)
Jean-Paul Brouard
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| Fem Willow Emerald Damselfly ©️JP Brouard |
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| Fem Willow Emerald Damselfly ©️JP Brouard |
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| Fem Emerald Damselfly ©️JP Brouard |
Emerald Damselfly (2 males/5 females)
Blue tailed Damselfly (3)
Azure Danselfly (1 male)
Beautiful Demoiselle (2 males & 1female)
Ruddy Darter (40+)
Emperor (4)
Brown Hawker (1)
Black tailed Skimmer (1)
Jean-Paul Brouard
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| Male Emerald Damselfly ©️ JP Brouard |
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| Female Emperor Dragonfly ©️ JP Brouard |
Brown Hawker One, car park
Southern Hawker 4 along the rides
Emperor 10 ( 3 at the pond incl. fem ovispositing)and the rest along the rides
Beautiful Demoiselle Fem along the far ride
Common Blue Dam. Just one identified
Azure Dam. c. 20
Emerald Dam. 10 all at the pond in the rushes
Large Red Dam. Car park ( flew through my car as I had lunch ! )
Blue tailed Dam. c. 10
Ruddy Darter 5
Common Darter 10
Blk. tailed Skimmer 3 at the pond
Four spot Chaser one at the pond
John Edwards
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (c) John Edwards |
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| Emerald Damselfly (c) John Edwards |
Otmoor
Blue Damselflies (mostly Azure) 82
Blue-tailed Damselflies 8
Ruddy Darters 4m, 4f
Whitecross Green Wood
Beautiful Demoiselle 1m
Large Red Damselfly 1
Red-eyed Damselfly 1
Ruddy Darters 1m, 3f
Black-tailed Skimmers 4
Four-spotted Chasers 2
Blue Damselflies (mostly Azure) 82
Blue-tailed Damselflies 8
Ruddy Darters 4m, 4f
Phil Cruse
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| Ruddy Darter (c) Phil Cruse |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (c) Phil Cruse |
To west of first blind SP56128 13402:
NORFOLK HAWKER
A first for Oxon!
Jeremy Dexter
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| Norfolk Hawker (c) Jeremy Dexter |
1 Banded Demoiselle
4 Emerald Damselflies (Orchard Lake)
Common Blue Damselflies
Azure Damselflies
Red Eyed Damselflies
5 Blue Tailed Damselflies
7+Hairy Dragonflies (Orchard Lake)
6 Brown Hawker
1 LESSER EMPEROR (Male Orchard Lake) Elusive only seen briefly twice. Probably going elsewhere
10+ Emperor Dragonflies
3 Downy Emerald (2 Thrupp Lake 1 Orchard Lake)
20+ Four Spotted Chasers
20+ Black Tailed Skimmers
1 Broad Bodied Chaser
6 Common Darter
3 Ruddy Darter
Wayne Bull
SU489944:
Common Blue Damselfly (34 including one pair.)
Blue-tailed Damselfly 8
Red-eyed Damselfly 2
Four-spotted Chaser 5
Black-tailed Skimmer 3
Brian Walker
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (c) Brian Walker |
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| Four-spotted Chaser (c) Brian Walker |
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| Common Blue Damselfly (c) Brian Walker |
Parsonage Moor
Southern Damselflies 19 (many in tandem)
Keeled Skimmers 9m, 1f ovipositing, 1pr in cop
Cothill Fen 25 June
Southern Damselflies 15 (mostly m)
Large Red Damselflies 2m
Keeled Skimmers 9m
Four-spotted Chaser 1
Phil Cruse
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| Keeled Skimmer (m) © Phil Cruse |
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| Keeled Skimmer (f) © Phil Cruse |
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| Southern Damselflies © Phil Cruse |
In pool to S of weir SU426876:
Emperor 1m,1f
Four-spotted Chaser 1
Blue Damsels
Stephen Burch
Hairy Dragonfly (1 male)
Ruddy Darter (6)
Emerald Damselfly (1 fem)
Red eyed Damselfly (1)
Azure Damselfly (70+)
Common Blue Damselfly (70+)
Blue-tailed Damselfly (9)
Banded Demoiselle (1 male)
John-Paul Brouard
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| Emerald Damselfly (f) © John-Paul Brouard |
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| Hairy Dragonfly © John-Paul Brouard |
Four-spotted Chaser - many
Black-tailed Skimmer - many
Emperor - 4
Broad-bodied Chaser - 1
Common Darter - 5
Beautiful Demoiselle - 8
Banded Demoiselle - many
Red-eyed Damselfly - 6
Small Red-eyed Damselfly - 2
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 7
Azure - many
Common Blue Damselfly -4
LRD - 7
Alan Dawson
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| Small Red-eyed Damselfly © Alan Dawson |
A male Beautiful Demoiselle flew through the reserve. Only the second record for the site.
Steve Holliday
Also an emergent Southern Hawker from a garden pond on 24 June.
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| Southern Migrant Hawker © David Hastings |
2 Banded Demoiselle
2 Emerald Damselflies
Common Blue Damselflies
Azure Damselflies
4 Blue Tailed Damselflies
20+ Red Eyed Damselflies
6+ Hairy Dragonflies
3 Brown Hawker
1 LESSER EMPEROR (Male Orchard Lake): Elusive, never showed for longer than about 15 sec. Mostly in the middle area of Orchard lake but was first seen by the dog-walkers "beach" on arrival.
8+ Emperor Dragonflies
5 Downy Emerald ( Thrupp Lake)
20+ Four Spotted Chaser
2 Broad Bodied Chaser
15+ Black Tailed Skimmers
3 Common Darter
Wayne Bull
Southern Hawker - 1
Broad-bodied Chaser - 1
Four-Spotted Chaser - 3
Black-tailed Skimmer - 2
White-legged Damselfly - 5
Emperor - 3
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| Southern Hawker © Alan Dawson |
Beautiful Demoiselle (2)
Azure Damselfly (20+)
White-legged Damselfly (1)
Blue-tailed Damselfly (10+)
Emerald Damselfly (3 fem)
Ruddy Darter (20+)
Black-tailed Skimmer (1 fem)
Four-spotted Chaser (2)
Broad-bodied Chaser (1 fem)
Emperor (5)
Southern Migrant Hawker (1 immature m in car park)
Jean-Paul Brouard
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (immature m) © Jean-Paul Brouard |
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| Emerald Damselfly (f) © Jean-Paul Brouard |
56 Common Blue Damselflies
31 Banded Demoiselles
12 Blue-tailed Damselflies
8 White-legged Damselflies
2 Red-eyed Damselflies
4 Black-tailed Skimmers
2 Beautiful Demoiselles ( a male and a female and the first time I have seen the species here)
Brian Walker
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (m) © Brian Walker |
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| White-legged Damselfly © Brian Walker |
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| Banded Demoiselle © Brian Walker |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer © Brian Walker |
8+ Small Red Damselflies
15+ Southern Damselflies
2 Common Blue Damselflies
2 Blue Tailed Damselflies
2 Emperor Dragonflies
4 Four Spotted Chasers
1 Black Tailed Skimmer
8+ Keeled Skimmer
1 Common Darter
Wayne Bull
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| Small Red Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
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| Small Red Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
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| Keeled Skimmer (teneral) © Wayne Bull |
Azure Damselfly 2
Southern Damselfly 20+
Blue-tailed Damselfly 2
Large Red Damselfly 1
Small Red Damselfly 1
Keeled Skimmer 8
Four-spotted Chaser 1 (form praenubila)
David Hastings
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| Keeled Skimmer ♂© David Hastings |
Garden Pond:
c. 10 Azure Damselfly
1 Large Red Damselfly
Kidney Pond:
Azure Damselfly
2 Large Red Damselfly
Large Pond:
c. 50+ Azure Damselfly - numerous. Many tandem pairs on water surface/algal mats
c. 5+ Large Red Damselfly
1 Banded Demoiselle
1 Ruddy Darter (teneral)
Stephen Burch
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| A distant Banded Demoiselle © Stephen Burch |
Blue-tailed Damselfly: c. 20+
Azure Damselfly: many
Red-eyed Damselfly: 20+
Emperor: 2 (1m,1f ovipositing)
Four-spotted Chaser c. 10+
Stephen Burch
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| Four-spotted Chaser [focus stacked] © Stephen Burch |
10+ Emerald Damselflies
2 Large Red Damselflies
30+ Azure Damselflies
6 Common Blue Damselflies
3 Blue Tailed Damselflies
3 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Southern Migrant Hawker (Female)
2 Broad Bodied Chaser
1 Four Spotted Chaser
2 Black Tailed Skimmer
5 Ruddy Darter
SMH location: SP5980714713. Flying around quite high over a small grassy clearing on the left on the ride from the car park just after the turning to the central ride. It then landed high up in an oak tree.
Wayne Bull
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| Southern Migrant Hawker (female) © Wayne Bull |
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| Emerald Damselfly (female) © Wayne Bull |
Boardwalk in NW corner:
2-3 Downy Emerald, being harassed by damselflies
Stephen Burch
Azure Damselfly (20+)
Common Blue Damselfly (5)
Southern Damselfly (40+)
Blue-tailed Damselfly (5)
Large Red Damselfly (2)
Small Red Damselfly (6 - 4f/2m)
Common darter (2)
Emperor (1)
Keeled skimmer (3)
Four-spotted Chaser (5)
Broad-bodied Chaser (1fem)
Jean Paul Brouard
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| Southern Damselfly © Jean Paul Brouard |
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| Small Red Damselfly © Jean Paul Brouard |
Southern Migrant Hawker (2 female/immature types)
One at bridleway crossroads other car park area
Jeremy Dexter
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly 4
Emerald Damselfly 2
Blue-tailed Damselfly 10+
Common Darter 4
Four-spotted Chaser 1
Ian Lewington
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| Emerald Damselfly © Ian Lewington |
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| Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly © Ian Lewington |
Southern Damselfly c30+
Small Red Damselfly 1m
Keeled Skimmer 8
Broad-bodied Chaser 1f
Azure Damselfly 4
Blue-tailed Damselfly 2
Ian Lewington
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| Keeled Skimmer (teneral) © Ian Lewington |
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| Small Red Damselfly © Ian Lewington |
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| Southern Damselflies © Ian Lewington |
Black-tailed Skimmer - 2
Emperor - 3
Four-spotted Chaser - many
White-legged Damsel - 7
Blue-tailed D - many
Common Blue - many
Large Red Damselfly - 5
Alan Dawson
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| Black-tailed Skimmer © Alan Dawson |
1 Banded Demoiselle
2 Emerald Damselflies (m&f) (Orchard Lake)
Common Blue Damsels
Azure Damsels
2 Variable Damselflies (Males Barton Pool)
12 Blue Tailed Damselflies
10+ Red Eyed Damselflies
3 Hairy Dragonflies (Orchard Lake)
1 Brown Hawker
4 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Downy Emerald (Bullfield Lake)
12 Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Broad Bodied Chaser
8 Black Tailed Skimmer
1 Common Darter
Wayne Bull
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| Emerald Damselfly (m) © Wayne Bull |
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| Emerald Damselfly (f) © Wayne Bull |
An afternoon visit in the first decent sunshine for days found modest numbers of odonata:
Down Emerald
Hairy Dragonfly
Four-spotted Chaser
Pluse modest counts of
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
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| Azure Damselfly |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly along the canal |
Far too rainy for any decent odonata action but I did eventually manage to find a pair of Variable Damselflies roosting in the south west corner.
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| The roosting male Variable Damselfly |
Amazing chance brief encounter with another Lesser Emperor, this time a mature male brought down by rain! It was on private land at SP385004.
This is south of Pit 60 and the other Standlake lakes. The previous sighting of am immature this year was to the north, near Yarnton.
Connor Mackenzie.
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| Lesser Emperor (mature male) © Conor Mackenzie. |
