Lockinge, 19 June

On pool behind the weir (SU426877)

1m Emperor (FOY at this site)

Stephen Burch

Clattercote Reservoir, 18 June

Please note the reservoir levels are currently very low with no access to the water's edge. The best area for dragonflies at the western end is virtually dried up.

Common Blue Damselfly 13 (8m, 1f, 1 pair in cop, 1 pair in tandem)
Red-eyed Damselfly 2m
Black-tailed Skimmer 8 (6m, 1 pair in cop)
Broad-bodied Chaser 1m around small residual pools. (An addition to the site species list)

Steve and Gill Holliday

Tar Lakes, near Witney, 18 June pm

Common Blue Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
Emperor? Brief glimpse on arrival
Black-tailed Skimmer
Four-spotted Chaser

Remarkable lack of hawkers. Could it be too hot for them?!

Stephen Burch

Standlake Pit 60, 18 June

Common Blue Damselfly
Red-eyed Damselfly
1 Banded Demoiselle
Emperor 1-2
Black-tailed Skimmer

Stephen Burch

Grove Meadows Stormwater Pond, 17 June

5+ Small Red-eyed Damselfly
10+ Red-eyed Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
3 Emperor (2m, 1f ovipositing)
2+ Four-spotted Chaser

Stephen Burch

Emperor (f) in flight © Stephen Burch

Emperor ovipositing © Stephen Burch

Small Red-eyed Damselfly (and reflection) © Stephen Burch

Parsonage Moor and Cothill Fen (briefly), 17 June early PM

Southern damselfly - c10, including some tandem pairs.
Common Blue damselfly - c10
Azure Blue damselfly - c10
Large Red damselfly - 5
Small Red damselfly - 3
Keeled skimmer - 6 including one pair in cop.
Black-tailed skimmer - 1
Four-spotted chaser - 2
Emperor dragonfly - 1

Gareth Casburn

Keeled Skimmer © Gareth Casburn

Small Red Damselfly © Gareth Casburn

Southern Damselfly © Gareth Casburn

Otmoor RSPB, 16 June

Azure Damselfly, 30+
Common Blue Damselfly, several
Banded Demoiselle Damselfly, 1m
Ruddy and Common Darter Dragonfly, 5+

Phil Cruse 

Ruddy Darter (c) Phil Cruse 

Whitecross Green Wood, 16th June

Azure Damselfly : 15+
Large Red Damselfly : 1
Blue-tailed Damselfly : 3
White-legged Damselfly : 8
Emperor Dragonfly : 4
Four-spotted Chaser : 4
Broad-bodied Chaser : 1
Black-tailed Skimmer : 2

 David Hastings

Four-spotted Chaser © David Hastings

Emperor Dragonfly © David Hastings

White-legged Damselfly © David Hastings

Pinkhill Hide, Farmoor, 16 June

 1m Lesser Emperor 

Conor Mackenzie

Boundary Brook Nature Reserve, Oxford, 13 June

4+ Large Red Damselfly
10s Blue Damsels, presumed Azure

Very low water levels on all the ponds

Stephen Burch

Large Red Damselfly [focus stacked] © Stephen Burch

College Lake BBOWT - BUCKS

News from over the border in Bucks, per Phil Cruse: 

2 Norfolk Hawker at College Lake BBOWT for about 7 days.

Anyone looking on Otmoor at the moment?

Stephen Burch

Wroxton Abbey, 11th Jun

10+ Common Blue Damselfly (including one tandem pair being attacked by a spider)
10 + Azure Damselflies
1 Large Red damselfly
6 Beautiful Demoiselles
4 Broad Bodied Chaser
5 Four-spotted Chaser including one Preanubila form

Mark Hunter

Four-spotted Chaser (Preanubila form) © Mark Hunter

Common Blue Damselflies being attacked by a spider © Mark Hunter

Parsonage Moor & Cothill Fen, 11 June

Parsonage Moor

Small Red Damselfly, 1
Large Red Damselfly, 3
Azure Damselfly, 5+
Common Blue Damselfly, 2
Southern Damselfly, 15+
Keeled Skimmer , 6+
Black-tailed Skimmer, 2
Four-spotted Chaser, 4+, inc. 1 ovipositing
Hairy Dragonfly, 1

Cothill Fen

Large Red Damselfly, 4
Azure Damselfly, 3
Common Blue Damselfly, 2
Southern Damselfly, 12+
Keeled Skimmer, 4+
Black-tailed Skimmer, 1
Four-spotted Chaser Dragonfly, 4+
Emperor Dragonfly, 1

Phil Cruse

Keeled Skimmer (f) © Phil Cruse

Southern Damselfly (f) © Phil Cruse

Black-tailed Skimmer (over-mature female) © Phil Cruse

Radley Lakes, 9th June

8 Banded Demoiselle
6 Emerald Damsels (4 males,2 females)
40+ Common/ Azure Damsels 
15+ Blue Tailed Damsels
10+ Red Eyed Damsels
1 Downy Emerald (Bullfield Lake)
2 Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Black Tailed Skimmer
3 Ruddy Darter

Wayne Bull

Ruddy Darter © Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly (female)  © Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly (male)  © Wayne Bull

Lockinge, 7 June

At the weir (SU426877), in a brighter moment between showers:

Blue-tailed Damselfly - 20+ (highest count at this site by far)
Azure Damselfly - 1

Stephen Burch

Radley Lakes, 4th June

1 Beautiful Demoiselle
10+ Banded Demoiselle
5 Emerald Damsels ( 3 females 2 males)
100+ Common / Azure Damsels
15+ Blue Tailed Damsels
8 Red Eyed Damsels
1 Club Tailed Dragonfly (male) SU5219996918
2 Emperor Dragonflies
1 Ruddy Darter

Wayne Bull

Clubtail (mature male) © Wayne Bull

Blue-tailed Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Beautiful Demoiselle © Wayne Bull

Emerald Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Lamb's Pool and Woodford Bottom BBOWT reserve, 2 June

Lamb's Pool BBOWT

Beautiful demoiselle 2 (1m 1f/imm)
Large red damselfly 1
White-legged damselfly 4
Azure damselfly 18 (13m 3 fem/imm 1 pair in tandem)
Blue-tailed damselfly 14 (10m 2 teneral 1 pair in cop)
Red-eyed damselfly 2m
Four-spotted chaser 4 (3m 1 fem ovipositing)

Woodford Bottom

White-legged damselfly 4
Azure damselfly 1m
Four-spotted chaser 2 

Steve and Gill Holliday

Whitecross Green Wood, 2nd June

2 Beautiful Demoiselle
2 Banded Demoiselle
8 Large Red Damsels
3 White-Legged Damsels
30+ Azure Damsels
2 Blue-Tailed Damsels
3 Hairy Dragonflies
5 Emperor Dragonflies
7 Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Broad Bodied Chaser
2 Ruddy Darter

Wayne Bull

 Azure Damselfly © Wayne Bull

 Large Red Damselfly © Wayne Bull

 Ruddy Darter © Wayne Bull

Lyford and Venn Mill, 30th May, 1 June

30th May - Lyford & River Ock

Beautiful Demoiselle x 100+ m/f
Banded Demoiselle x 50+ m/f
Azure Damselfly x 2 m/f

1st June - Venn Mill

Large Red Damselfly x 2 m/f
Common Blue Damselfly m
Blue-tailed Damselfly m

Tim & Ali Baker

Otmoor, 2nd June

Seen in the MoD area at Otmoor this morning (while doing a butterfly survey):

Azure and Common Blue Damselflies
Emperor Dragonfly 2
Four-spotted Chaser 2
Ruddy Darter 2 (my earliest ever sighting of this species)

David Hastings

Ruddy Darter ♀ © David Hastings

Otmoor, 31 May

Common Darter - earliest ever record for me.

John Edwards

Whitecross Green Wood, 31 May

Large Red Damselfly, 8+ (mostly in tandem)
Azure Damselfly, many
Banded Demoiselle Damselfly, 2
Blue-tailed Damselfly, many
Four-spotted Chaser Dragonfly, 12+, including 1 ovipositing
Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly, 10, including 1 ovipositing
Emperor Dragonfly, 2m

Phil Cruse

Broad-bodied Chaser (c) Phil Cruse

Four-spotted Chaser (c) Phil Cruse

River Cherwell, Grimsbury Reservoir, 31 May

Beautiful Demoiselle - 32
Banded Demoiselle - 53
White-legged Damselfly - 2
Large Red Damselfly - 9
Red-eyed Damselfly - 54
Azure Damselfly - 61
Common Blue Damselfly - 99
Blue-tailed Damselfly - 3
Emperor Dragonfly - 1
Hairy Dragonfly - 7
Broad-bodied Chaser - 3

Gareth Blockley

Cothill and Parsonage Moor, 30 May AM

 Cothill NNR

3 Large Red Damsels
10+ Small Red Damsels mostly females
6 Azure Damsels
2 Southern Damsels
2 Blue Tailed Damsels
3 Four-Spotted Chaser
1 Black Tailed Skimmer
6+ Keeled Skimmer
1 Common Darter

Parsonage Moor

1 Beautiful Demoiselle
4 Large Red Damsels
2 Small Red Damsels
10+ Azure Damsels
30+ Southern Damsels
2 Blue Tailed Damsels
3 Hairy Dragonflies
8+ Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Black Tailed Skimmer
3 Keeled Skimmer
2 Common Darter

Wayne Bull

Southern Damselfly © Wayne Bull

Small Red Damselfly (m) © Wayne Bull

Small Red Damselfly (f) © Wayne Bull

Keeled Skimmer (teneral) © Wayne Bull

Radley Lakes, 30th May

Mainly Orchard Lake, 14:30 to 16:00

Common Blue Damselfly: hundreds
Blue-tailed Damselfly 6
Red-eyed Damselfly 16
Large Red Damselfly 1
Emperor Dragonfly 1 (Thrupp Lake)
Downy Emerald 1
Four-spotted Chaser 7
Black-tailed Skimmer 6

David Hastings

Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings

Black-tailed Skimmer ♀ © David Hastings

Dry Sandford Pit, 30th May

Common Blue Damselfly 1♂
Southern Damselfly 3♂
Large Red Damselfly 12
Beautiful Demoiselle 3 (2♂,1♀)
Broad-bodied Chaser 3 (2♂,1♀)
Keeled Skimmer 1 (imm ♂)

David Hastings

 

Keeled Skimmer (imm. ♂) © David Hastings

Southern Damselfly (♂) © David Hastings

Earth Trust, nr Clifton Hampden, 30 May

Most westerly pool by River Thames:SU553957

Red-eyed Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle
Common Blue Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Emperor 1-2
Hairy Dragonfly 2+
Four-spotted Chaser 10+
Black-tailed Skimmer 2+

+Only Banded Demoiselle along the Thames in windy conditions

Stephen Burch

Emperor  © Stephen Burch

Hairy Dragonfly © Stephen Burch

Goring and Hartslock Nature Reserve, 22 May 2025

 On a walk along the Thames path and Hartslock Nature reserve.

5 Clubtail exuviae 
100+ Banded Demoiselles, including a teneral and a mating pair
1 Common bluetail Damselfly 
10-20 White-legged Damselflies at Hartslock

Jake Dudderidge and Reuben Nebbett-Blades

White-legged Damselfly (c) Jake Dudderidge

Banded Demoiselle (c) Jake Dudderidge

Clubtail exuvia (c) Jake Dudderidge

Newington, 23 May

In the garden last 2 days & previous years 

1 Beautiful Demoiselle. SU609965

Mike Jaunet

Beautiful Demoiselle © Mike Jaunet

Whitecross Green Wood, 25 May

Large Red Damselfly, 4
Blue-tailed Damselfly, 3
Azure Damselfly, many
Hairy Dragonfly, 1m, 1f
Four-spotted Chaser, at least 4, including 1 ovipositing
Broad-bodied Chaser, 2m, 2f
Emperor Dragonfly, 1m

Phil Cruse

Broad-bodied Chaser (f) © Phil Cruse

Broad-bodied Chaser (m) © Phil Cruse

Four spotted Chaser © Phil Cruse

Radley Lakes, 23 May

10+ Banded Demoiselle
100+Common Blue Damsels
15+ Azure Damsels
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
20+ Red-Eyed Damsels
3 Hairy Dragonflies
1 Emperor (male orchard lake)
6 Downy Emerald ( 2 males Bullfield Lake, 2 female & 2 male orchard lake)
10+ Four-Spotted Chaser
2 Black Tailed Skimmer

Wayne Bull 

Downy Emerald (c) Wayne Bull

Wroxton College Lakes, 23 May

Beautiful demoiselle 2m 1f
Large red damselfly 2
Azure damselfly 18+ including pairs in tandem
Common blue damselfly 40+ including several pairs in tandem, females ovipositing
Blue damselfly sp 100+
Blue-tailed damselfly 3m
Red-eyed damselfly 21m 1f including pair in tandem
Hairy dragonfly 1m
Emperor 1m
Broad-bodied chaser 2m 1f. A pair in cop briefly, female then seen ovipositing (Lady Lake)
Four-spotted chaser 2
Black-tailed skimmer 2m 1 teneral  

Steve and Gill Holliday 

Orchard Lake, Radley Lake, 23 May

Red eyed Damselfly
3 Downy Emerald (2m, 1f ovipositing)
1 Hairy Dragonfly

Stephen Burch

Downy Emerald (m) © Stephen Burch

Downy Emerald (f) © Stephen Burch

Grove Meadows Stormwater pond, 23 May

Azure Damselfly: 10+
Red-eyed Damselfly: 5+
Emperor 1
Common Darter (2 teneral - v early!)

Stephen Burch

Otmoor, 23 May

Hairy Dragonfly: 2 total. 1 at reed bed on the main reserve and the second on the river at Oddington by the Flood Field.  
Four spot Chaser: 1 by the Flood Field.

John Edwards

Trow Pool at Ardley, 23 May

Downy Emerald - 1
Hairy dragonfly - 1
Four-spotted chaser - 5

Small numbers of common blue, azure and blue-tailed damsels.

in iRecord

Gareth Casburn

Letcombe Valley BBOWT

1 Beautiful Demoiselle - by northern entrance SU378862

Stephen Burch

Abingdon Weir, May 20th

10s Banded Demoiselles

James Wainscoat

Banded Demoiselles in cop. ©  James Wainscoat