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 1600 pixels horizontally may be provided. These will be displayed at a resolution of 640 pixels but viewers can then click to see them at full resolution
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
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (c) Phil Cruse |
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| Four-spotted Chaser (c) Phil Cruse |
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
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| Southern Damselfly © Wayne Bull |
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| Small Red Damselfly (m) © Wayne Bull |
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| Small Red Damselfly (f) © Wayne Bull |
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| Keeled Skimmer (teneral) © Wayne Bull |
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
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| Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer ♀ © David Hastings |
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
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| Keeled Skimmer (imm. ♂) © David Hastings |
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| Southern Damselfly (♂) © David Hastings |
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
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| Emperor © Stephen Burch |
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| Hairy Dragonfly © Stephen Burch |
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
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| White-legged Damselfly (c) Jake Dudderidge |
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| Banded Demoiselle (c) Jake Dudderidge |
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| Clubtail exuvia (c) Jake Dudderidge |
In the garden last 2 days & previous years
1 Beautiful Demoiselle. SU609965
Mike Jaunet
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| Beautiful Demoiselle © Mike Jaunet |
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
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (f) © Phil Cruse |
.jpg) |
| Broad-bodied Chaser (m) © Phil Cruse |
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| Four spotted Chaser © Phil Cruse |
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
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| Downy Emerald (c) Wayne Bull |
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
Red eyed Damselfly
3 Downy Emerald (2m, 1f ovipositing)
1 Hairy Dragonfly
Stephen Burch
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| Downy Emerald (m) © Stephen Burch |
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| Downy Emerald (f) © Stephen Burch |
Azure Damselfly: 10+
Red-eyed Damselfly: 5+
Emperor 1
Common Darter (2 teneral - v early!)
Stephen Burch
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
Downy Emerald - 1
Hairy dragonfly - 1
Four-spotted chaser - 5
Small numbers of common blue, azure and blue-tailed damsels.
in iRecord
Gareth Casburn
10s Banded Demoiselles
James Wainscoat
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| Banded Demoiselles in cop. © James Wainscoat |
Downy Emerald 1
Hairy Dragonfly 6
Four spotted Chaser 12,
Azure and Common Blue Damselflies 100s
Blue tailed Damselfly 10
Red-eyed damselfly 2,
Banded Damselfly 4
James Wainscoat
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| Downy Emerald © James Wainscoat |
On way too/from the RFF site:
Banded Demoiselle, plentiful all along the river bank
Red-eyed Damselfly, c. 10 SP393012
Hairy Dragonfly, 1m SP389011
Stephen Burch
Red-eyed Damselfly, 6
Blue-tailed Damselfly, several
Azure Damselfly, 20+
Common Blue Damselfly, several
Banded Demoiselle Damselfly, 2
Four-spotted Chaser Dragonfly, 2
Hairy Dragonfly, 2+ (1 ovipositing)
Downy Emerald, 2
Phil Cruse
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| Azure Damselflies © Phil Cruse |
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| Downy Emerald © Phil Cruse |
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| Hairy Dragonfly ovipositing © Phil Cruse |
6 Large Red Damsels,
100s+ Common Blue Damsels,
20+ Azure Damsels,
6 Blue-tailed Damsels,
4 Hairy Dragonflies
James Wainscoat
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| Large Red Damselfly © James Wainscoat |
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| Common Blue Damselflies © James Wainscoat |
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| Common Blue Damselfly close-up © James Wainscoat |
2 Banded Demoiselle
8 Beautiful Demoiselle
1 Large Red Damsel
10+ White-Legged Damsels
100+ Common Blue Damsels
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
2 Four-Spotted Chaser
Wayne Bull
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| White-Legged Damselfly (female) © Wayne Bull |
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| White-Legged Damselfly (male) © Wayne Bull |
Downy Emerald - 2
Hairy Dragonfly - 4+
Four-spotted Chaser - 6
Variable Damselfly - 4
Azure Damselfly - 20+
Red-eyed Damselfly - 10+
Large Red Damselfly - 5+
Banded Demoiselle - 1
Gareth Casburn
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| Hairy Dragonfly © Gareth Casburn |
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| Variable Damselfly © Gareth Casburn |
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| Downy Emerald © Gareth Casburn |
A teneral male Broad-bodied Chaser was in my garden today. Presumably it had emerged from the pond. It spent some time drying its wings before taking its maiden flight round the garden.
David Hastings
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| Teneral male Broad-bodied Chaser © David Hastings |
Banded Demoiselle damselfly, 50+
Blue-tailed Damselfly, c4
Azure Damselfly, c4
Black-tailed Skimmer, 1 or 2f/tenerals
Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly, 1m
Hairy Dragonfly, 2
Phil Cruse
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (c) Phil Cruse |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (c) Phil Cruse |
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| Banded Demoiselles (c) Phil Cruse |
20+ Banded Demoiselle
1 Large Red Damsel
100+ Common Blue Damsel
20+ Azure Damsel
4+ Variable Damsel males (Barton Pool)
4 Blue Tailed Damsels
20+ Red Eyed Damsels
1 Clubtail (Male, near northern end of Orchard lake, 1 Exuviae by river)
5 Hairy Dragonflies (3 Barton Pool, 2 Orchard Lake)
5 Downy Emerald (4 males,3 Bullfield lake,1 Orchard lake,1 female Nyatts field)
3 Four-Spotted Chaser
1 Broad Bodied Chaser
Wayne Bull
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| Adult male Clubtail (c) Wayne Bull |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (c) Wayne Bull |
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| Variable Damselfly (c) Wayne Bull |
In the area around the fishing lake (SU512970) from 14:15 to 15:15
Azure Damselfly 20+
Blue-tailed Damselfly 1
Common Blue Damselfly 20+
Large Red Damselfly 2
Variable Damselfly 2♂
Banded Demoiselle 4♂,1♀
Beautiful Demoiselle 1♂
Hairy Hawker 1♂
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| Beautiful Demoiselle ♂ © David Hastings |
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| Variable Damselfly ♂ © David Hastings |
A visit between 11:30am and 12:30pm today in sunny conditions found 6+ Variable Damselflies, mostly males along the west side by the wire fence about the middle third of the way along the path
Also,
Four-spotted Chaser
Broad-bodied Chaser, single male
Blue-tailed Damselfly, single male
Large Red Damselfly, 2+
Azure Damselfly, 2: m & f
Adam Hartley
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| Male Variable Damselfly |
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| Four-spotted Chaser |
Clubtail - 1 mature adult, 1 emergent.
Ian and Debbie Lewington
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| Clubtail (mature) (c) Ian Lewington |
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| Clubtail emerging (c) Ian Lewington |
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| Clubtail just emerged (c) Ian Lewington |
SP 48717 10734 (12pm-2pm)
8+ Variable Damselflies (2 females)
The site is more accessible this year - west side along wire fence between pond and railway line is best. The narrow path is 100 yards long with the last third being the best area, although patience is required as Variables appear to be quite skittish.
Jeremy Dexter
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| Variable Damselfly (c) Jeremy Dexter |
